#1: Can you describe your movie and why somebody should see it in less than 140 characters?

It’s a story about a 13-year-old who wants to dance, encounters bullying and finds out just how resilient she is.

#2: What do you want the Borrego Springs Film Festival audience to know about your film that isn’t obvious from its title?

Hmm, well, it's true that the title doesn't give you much. Gabrielle is a 13-year-old who's talented at art and loves ballet. When she tries to take dance classes herself, she is bullied by her dance teacher for her body type and (perceived) lack of talent. It's something she has to overcome and she happens, on the way, to meet a very unexpected true friend. I think what’s struck me the most, having seen a lot of audiences react to this film now, is just how universal the experiences depicted seem to be. Literally every time I’ve shown it, I have heard from at least one person telling me about their own experiences with bullying when they were kids, or perhaps things that happened to their children. Since Gabrielle overcomes her troubles in a healthy way, I like to think that seeing the film is cathartic for people who've been in the toxic situation it depicts.

#3: What is your movie making background? Tell us about yourself.

I started making movies in 2015 but I had been directing live theatre before that. My first foray into film was a webseries, then a short and then three more. My last two shorts, Gabrielle and Biff & Me, are on the festival circuit now, and I'm in pre-production on my first feature, which is called Goodbye, Petrushka.

#4: What was the biggest lesson learned in getting your film made?

When it comes to crew and cast, surround yourself with wonderful people who support what you're doing and will enhance it. If not for my DP, Jon Reino; sound man, Brandon Ascari; AD, Amanda Lamarr; production designer, Becky Morgan; choreographer, Joan Mirabella, and countless others, who knows if Gabrielle would have been the smooth-sailing, happy experience it was. All of them, besides being skilled at what they do, are thoroughly good human beings. It matters a lot.

#5: What does the future hold for your film and you?

Your guess is as good as mine. Gabrielle is having a very extended festival run because of the pandemic; certain festivals have been postponed a year or more and won't happen until next spring or summer. Sometime in late 2021, I hope the film will take a well-deserved retirement and be available online. I'll be editing my feature.