Episode 082 - Writer/Director Levi Wilson - LUKE AND EMMA AND A GAS STATION ON FRANKLIN AVENUE

The Viewfinder Podcast with Chris Hadley

Writer/director Levi Wilson is my guest on this week's podcast. He joins me to discuss his bittersweet coming-of-age short film LUKE AND EMMA AND A GAS STATION ON FRANKLIN AVENUE, which takes the traditional "boy meets girl" tale and puts it in a realistic setting - 1986-era small town America - where, as it sadly still is in 2022, romantic crises all but pale in comparison to the cruelty and discrimination leveled against people of different cultures and ethnicities.

Inside this landscape lives a young Asian-American child, Luke (played by Coulter Ibanez). One afternoon, Luke and his mother, an immigrant from Thailand named Noi (Jazz Sunpanich), go on what soon becomes an emotionally revealing stop at a gas station mini-mart as Luke sees the girl of his dreams: Emma (played by Christina Gobes), who like her father David (portrayed by Michael Giese), is White. Luke and Emma learn that in spite of their different ethnic backgrounds, they have far more in common than they believe, but their connection is tested severely in a world where bigotry poisons the heart as much as it does the mind.

Inspired by Wilson’s own childhood and experiences growing up in a biracial family, the filmmaker sought to create what he called a "semi-autobiographical" drama in making LUKE AND EMMA. It's a story that presents kids and the biracial community in a smart, authentic light. It's a story that's certain to make audiences reexamine - and hopefully, overcome - their inherent prejudices. It's a story that features characters who just want their piece of the American Dream, but whose pursuit of that dream is made harder in a country that in many ways hasn't yet become 'a more perfect union'.

LUKE AND EMMA has already been shot as a proof-of-concept for a planned feature film expansion, and is now seeking donations to finish its production on crowdfunding service Seed & Spark. I'm honored to welcome in Levi Wilson to talk about this thought-provoking and relevant project on this week's show.

Contribute to LUKE AND EMMA's Seed&Spark campaign here:

https://seedandspark.com/fund/luke-and-emma

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Music by Audionautix.com