5Q's w/Leanne Melissa Bishop and Curtis Webster "Tell Me Something" Directors

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

A lonely young woman makes an unexpected connection when she Zoom calls a suicide hotline. This is a story of hope in the darkest of times.

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

We explore the weird and delicate chemistry of human connection as two people with seemingly little in common forge a very unlikely friendship. Some of the deepest of human connections happen in moments of shared laughter over seeming trivialities and not in self-consciously profound self-revelation. Loneliness and isolation can drive anyone to depression, anxiety and, worst case, suicide. Tell Me Something offers hope and reassurance that there is always someone out there willing to listen and to connect. You are not alone.

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

Tell Me Something is Curtis Webster’s debut as a (co)director and producer. He has numerous acting credits, including NBC’s “This Is Us,” Netflix Comedy’s “I Think You Should Leave” and the Netflix horror feature hit “1BR.” This is Curtis’ second appearance at BSFF in a film with Leanne Bishop, having played her Dad in last year’s rom-com sensation “Is You Is?” He is a prolific writer and has several feature scripts on his hard drive that he now hopes to put into production.

Leanne Bishop co-directed Tell Me Something and is an alumna of the Borrego Springs Film Festival. She also recently directed the short “The Weight of Perfection” and “Candice & Peter’s Smokin’ Hot Date,” which put audiences of Borrego in hysterics. Leanne grew up in Port Williams, Nova Scotia, Canada and is now living in Los Angeles, acting, producing, writing and directing!

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

We already knew this but our experience with Tell Me Something re-affirmed that, when you get all the right people working together on a project, magic will happen regardless of budget. Using Zoom and two smartphones, we shot this film under quarantine conditions and we couldn’t be prouder of our work if we’d have had a $5M budget.

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

We hope to continue our success on the film festival circuit and we eventually hope that this film can be available as tool to help address depression caused by loneliness and isolation. We adore our two characters, Lydia and Alan, and are exploring ways that the saga of their friendship could continue in a post-pandemic world. There’s a platonic love story to be told as both characters struggle to emerge from isolation, help each other heal from past romantic disappointments and find new life partners. Whether those next steps for Lydia and Alan would take the form of a feature or another short (or shorts) has yet to be worked out but we would absolutely love to bring the rest of their shared story to cinematic life.