Lifting Up Local Communities: Quamé Hamlin
Preparing to earn an MFA in Film and Media Arts at American University while also working on a number of projects and being featured in a variety of festivals, SHIFT Creative Fund winner Quamé Hamlin keeps trailblazing a path for passionate filmmakers everywhere. As he prepares to cast short film Recovery Chain, a personal story close to his heart and rooted in his local community of Norfolk, Virginia, Quamé is ready to bring his team and community right along with him on the journey.
“This project is relatively new,” Quamé said, gentle but committed as he discussed the process. “I was working on a project called Code Switch for some time, which was originally a thesis short. I was pitching it and raising funds for production, but then, COVID-19 changed the projection of all of that because the scale was too large for the pandemic.”
So, although he continued development on Code Switch and penned a feature-length screenplay called Park Kidz, he turned his attention to Recovery Chain, which focuses on rebellious 12-year-old TRU resorting to live with his blue-collar and emotionally distant father BRICKHOUSE and his new family.
“I wrote the first draft about three years ago but really refined it to do the most justice to the characters. I stripped away everything except this father-son relationship to create something much more authentic that’s pulled from my experience. I also wanted to keep everything lean with a low budget.”
As the story calls back to Quamé’s struggles connecting with his own father as a child, the story overflows with his raw perspective, although he also took inspiration from his own favorite screenwriters as he refined the script.
“Lena Waithe was writing Twenties years ago and walked away from it, but later, she came back to it and it came out in 2020. Those stories don’t get old, but maybe it’s just not the right time for them yet. I took that from her and changed Tru to fit into 2021. Gina Prince-Bythewood said that you need to tell stories that are so real to you that you have to be the person to write and direct them, so Recovery Chain has to come from me and be by me, even in building this blue-collar community.”
The community is one of the most important aspects for Quamé and a big reason that he is telling this story. Although he’s looking forward to the finished film running through the festival circuit, he also wants to introduce the film to the people in the real community that it represents.
“I never went to a film festival until a couple years ago, so I want to make sure that my community gets an opportunity to see this project, ask questions, and see blue-collar workers on the screen. People from nursing homes, towing companies, the military. Sure, I want to make it into the big festivals, but I really want the people on the ground to see it, even if that means partnering up with universities or places that I’ve volunteered. I never got to meet filmmakers until college, but I want to change that for my community. I want to give the next generation an idea of what a filmmaker looks and sounds like.”
Quamé doesn’t just want success for himself. He wants to make it easier for anyone who wants to break into the industry.
“It’s difficult for people to attain but more difficult to imagine. I want to change that mentality. People should be able to have the idea that they can get to that end goal, and that’s the minimum.”
This selfless mentality already plays out in the filmmaker’s team. As Quamé moves forward with pre-production, he takes great pride in surrounding himself with others who are excited to be making this project and who he wants to work with consistently. Many came from his university, but now, he’s ready to expand his team through casting.
“I’m most excited about seeing who turns up. There’s an authenticity that I’m searching for in the actors, and because of that, I’m open to people who have not been professionally trained. We need to work with a range of people to fill these different roles and I want to involve the local community in that process by hopefully casting some from the area. I can’t wait to have a mix of professionally trained and untrained actors on one project.”
Quamé wants to give the cast a chance to be part of the entire process, even after principal photography. It’s important to him that they have that opportunity.
“Sometimes, actors can have sparks by just connecting to the material and living that spark. Even someone who doesn’t have the training can nail it because of that spark. So, we’re casting a wide net for actors.”
As Quamé prepares to cast and film the project throughout this summer, HC&F can’t wait to see how he builds up the actors, crew, and community through this powerful short. Films should have message, meaning, and impact beyond entertainment, and Quamé constantly lives out that foundation.
If you want to connect with Quamé and check out more of his work, we invite you to check out the links below:
QUAMÉ A. HAMLIN — QUAMÉ A. HAMLIN (quamehamlin.com)
Quamé Hamlin (@_meazy) • Instagram photos and videos
