I recently watched Deserve, a short film written by Malaiye, and directed by Arpège Lundyn. Deserve follows the story of an ambitious woman whose work and personal life start to intertwine, setting off both her and her partner, Nathan (played by Omar Cook). Faced with this dilemma, they must figure out if the relationship is worth it. Malaiye wrote, produced and starred as Janet, one of two characters in this film.
Malaiye is an actor, producer, writer, and editor, with her own entertainment media called 10 EV. Malaiye is a role model who inspires the artists in others, if not with her captivating personality, then with their storytelling abilities. Malaiye is one of my great friends that I’ve known for a long time now. I had some time to catch up with her and ask a few questions about her film.
[Photo: Interviewer Chris with Malaiye. Photo Credit: Wyoh Lee]
Can I start by asking you what was the inspiration behind the film? Were there any films or shows that inspired the film?
Projects that inspired this short were the film “Love Jones”, “Obsessed” and the TV Series “Insecure”.
How did you assemble your crew, and what roles do they play in bringing this story to life?
The crew was actually easier than expected to obtain, thanks to my community. From connections through my acting studio, high school, former movie theater co-workers, I was always one call away from getting the support I needed. Hitoshi Inoue, our main DP, was on go and gave full support when hopping on. Vincent “Freequincy” Simpson, our Music Supervisor was my rock when it came to completing this film. He got us connected with one of our main composers for the project, Kenneth Brown, who brought the film to life with his crew and accompaniment.
Arpége Lundyn, who came on as a first time Director to help me execute, she knew without words what the vision was. Jaimee Watson, one of the producers, so thankful for her, helped make the opening scene happen with such a short turn around. I’m very grateful, this couldn’t have been done without the commitment of my team leaders.
[Photo: On set of Deserve. L-R: Malaiye, director Arpége Lundyn, and Omar Cook (Nathan)]
How was it being a part of your amazing cast and crew? Can you share any behind the scenes stories during the development process of the film?
A funny BTS story is when my lead actor and I were going back and forth during a take and there’s this moment I walk away from him. When the director called cut, I went up to him, and told him to “make me stop walking away from you”. When we went again, I started walking away and he yanked the mess out of my arm! I won’t lie, it looked great on camera, the take was good but baby, I was shook. We had a cut of the film where we actually used that clip, but in the end I took it out because that would’ve made this an entirely different film lol!
Can you tell me which scene was your favorite, and what made it special during filming?
I love this question. My favorite moments are the ending monologues that Janet and Nathan have. The dialogue between the two was so beautiful when I wrote it, so seeing it translate on screen as it did was great. It was such a safe space to create, everyone was so supportive, and I think what made it so special was the crew bonding over the storyline, and performances. It truly was a great time.
Omar Cook and Malaiye as Nathan and Janet in Deserve
What inspired you to tackle many roles as an actor and writer?
I love storytelling. I love writing, and the whole creation process of a project. I like to be involved in all aspects that go into a production of mine.
How does it feel to have the film selected in film festivals? Are there plans on any future projects to develop Deserve into a feature film?
Ahh! It feels amazing! This is my first short film, and seeing our hard work be received internationally fills me with so much gratitude.
Deserve is currently being developed into a full feature! That’s all I’ll give for the moment, but definitely stay tuned. 😉
Are real life situations true to the narrative of Janet and Nathan’s character in the film? What message do you think your audience can take a piece from and resonate with?
Yes! This narrative stems from a reality that my sisters and I have experienced as a collective.
The message I think the audience can resonate with is knowing all aspects of you deserve to be loved. To know that you deserve to be acknowledged, and carried when needed. I think we all want to be there for our loved ones as best as we can, and we want to receive that return from them as well.
What advice would you give to aspiring creators who want to make their own film?
It’s okay to discover the story as you’re creating it. We want to have everything figured out at the beginning, but even as we create these worlds for people, we’re still not GOD. Your creation will change as it’s going from your brain to the physical realm, and it should! Honestly, write your drafts, and get you a crew you can build with. Organize your administration, and communicate clearly with your team.
If you’d like to check out Malaiye’s short film, “Deserve”, check out her website at https://www.malaiye.com/ to find all about Malaiye and her current projects. If you would like to watch the entire short film entirely, you can watch it right now on Youtube! Check out the trailer below:
This has been an Artists Spotlight of Malaiye, Interviewed by Chris Nelson.
Crazy10 Entertainment 