SILENT PULL, 11min., USA
Directed by Lamont Nathaniel Gibson
A Black queer man navigates unreciprocated intimacy and the emotional cost of longing, as systemic pressures push his vulnerabilities into transactional spaces.

https://www.instagram.com/direct_lng/

https://www.instagram.com/silent_pull

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

My motivation to make Silent Pull comes from different queer experiences I had in my life. Steve was based on a real person I knew and was an important part of my journey through education. I wanted to put on display black queer love in transactional space. Where income differences impose a dynamic that blocks the development of love.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

Silent Pull was my graduate thesis film and it took two and a half years to complete. The insert shoot was a year after principal shoot was done and editing, color and sound design took place over an eight month period.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Black resistance

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Money was the biggest obstacle for the film. My actors were willing to do the insert shoot pro bono to help me complete the film. I am so grateful to the crew and cast for helping me complete the film. It was made with love and support.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

Joy that they are experiencing my film and can understand what I am doing hasn't been done. I am using my education with my emotional intelligence to create queer black spaces that stand the test of time.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

The inclination was there as a child growing up but I didn't pursue it until I went back to school in my late twenty's. I went on to have two associates degrees,a bachelors of fine arts and a masters in fine arts. Once I became educated I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

Spike LeeDo The Right Thing is a film I watch a lot because of its film history and what it speaks to during a time when people of color weren't being treated fairly.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

Work of mouth seems to be the best thing for my film. Being from Philadelphia and not having many connections outside of the city I know my film will only go as far as people who are programming are talking about it.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

I've been a member of filmfreeway for around five years and it's been a battle to get noticed. It also has been beneficial to creating an audience around the world so it doesn't just live in Philadelphia.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I'm a big fan of salmon, mac and cheese I make from scratch but currently I am eating a lot of chipotle, double chicken.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I am working on my first feature documentary on some trauma that has happened during my time in school and how I preserved through filmmaking when life was crumbling around me.