Q&A with film producer Rebecca Green

Rebecca Green is producer of And Then I Go, a dark, coming-of-age drama about a boy named Edwin, friendship, rebellion and the search for belonging. Fellow UNCSA graduate Brett Haley wrote the film’s script as an adaptation of Jim Shepard’s novel Project X. View the film On Demand or Digital HD.

What drew you to this project?
I loved the story — [gun control] is such a hot topic now but it wasn’t in 2010. [The story] was always about the boys’ journey and how they felt alienated, but the issue of guns has become more in the forefront. Brett [Haley] and I went to the same school but not at the same time…. We were connected through alumni and I really loved it and started mentoring him… because he didn’t work with a producer on his first film.

What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
Combination of the challenge of a darker subject matter, but you also have a movie where kids are the lead actors. Plus, arthouse dramas are always harder. Back when we started, nobody was interested — nobody. People at the time wanted to stay away from the issue rather than confront it. As more and more shootings were happening, though, more people were interested.

What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
If you can leave the theater and think about the kids in your life with a little more attention and dig a little deeper with them and really get to know them — not just brush off their experiences because they’re kids — that is successful to me. For me, that’s what this movie is about. I hope that people are inspired to either donate to March for our Lives or Moms Demand Action… as they see fit.

What is it like to bring a film you produced to RiverRun?
It’s rewarding and helps give you a grasp of how far you’ve come. To share the film with audiences and to do it in a place where you learned how to do it all is amazing. 

What advice do you have for film students about to graduate?
Patience. There were films I made before the films people know of; it doesn’t happen right away for most people. Be patient, determined and work really hard. It’s not an easy profession to go after and a lot of people are trying to do it so the volume of competition is much bigger these days.