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From waitress to filmmaker, the life of Faith Trimel is truly one of inspiration and determination for many others
to follow and to study. Her recent black lesbian, physiological thriller, “Black Aura on Angel” has scared up
awards at film festivals across the country.
In one swoop, she has crossed and defied racial, gender, and sexual orientation lines, roadblocks and barriers by
writing, directing, producing, editing, and even co-starring in her short feature length movie.
Her film is actually based in upon a tragic 1993 true-life story based in Atlanta. She took some of the characters
and began to weave a tale which would later become Black Aura on an Angel.
“It sat [script] for several years before I went back in to really redo. What I had in essence was a thriller, a
romance thriller. It was initially inspired by a story of two women in Atlanta, Georgia in the spring of 1993. A
very controversial issue, an instance, an event and I thought it would be titillating and a great source of drama. “
Ironically, filmmaking was not Faith’s first career choice.“ For years I did spend a great deal of time pursing a
career as a professional actress but found dead ends in terms of having an ability to do any film. And my dream
as a child was not to be in commercials or industrials or anything like that or voiceovers but really to be a film
actress.
At the point of great frustration, I was like wait a minute, I think you have the resources, the inspiration and
talent go ahead and make some films, why don’t you try. I pulled up my script blew the dust off and just did it.”
However, her success as a freshman filmmaker was not at all an overnight success story. Faith spent many
sleepless nights, weeks, months, and now years teaching herself every aspect of filmmaking business, from
screenwriting, producing, directing, to editing. All of this was done of course whenever she could find time
from her job as a waitress.
“I figured I wanted to be a director, so I was my next step. I started devouring more movies, maybe five a
week. I bought a book then I started talking to people, started sitting in on some technical classes and then
learned how to set up my shots and I’d create a shot list.
Copyrighted 2006
Herndon Davis is an author, lecturer, and TV/Radio Host of The Herndon Davis Reports. He can be
reached directly at http://herndondavis.com
Herndon Davis is an author, lecturer, and TV/Radio Host of The Herndon Davis Reports. He can be
reached directly at http://herndondavis.com
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Copyrighted 2006
Herndon Davis is an author, lecturer, and TV/Radio Host of The Herndon Davis Reports. He can
be reached directly at http://herndondavis.com
Herndon Davis is an author, lecturer, and TV/Radio Host of The Herndon Davis Reports. He can
be reached directly at http://herndondavis.com
| Empowering The World's Diversity |
| Faith Trimel: Filmmaker Defies Hollywood Labels by: Herndon L. Davis |
Then the last hat that I had to put on was that of a producer. How do you get the money? How do you get services and barter? What would you do with the
movie beyond just making the decision to create it? Each is just a long step, it really truly is.
It just took a lot of work. I can just remember days muddling online searching, notes, and books, and whole days at the bookstores and two days at the library
because I knew nothing because I really didn’t have a mentor.” In addition, Faith even taught herself how to edit film but most of all she co-starred in the film,
so her film acting career isn’t dead after all.
Thus in her never-ending pursuit to get her film shot and distributed, Faith did something pretty remarkable. She shot to hell any and everything Hollywood and
anyone else would have to say about the viability of her film. Instead of listening to those who would tell her what her film could or could not do, and how it
would and would not be able to be marketed, she continued to press forward and today self-distributes her Black Aura on An Angel through her own distribution
company.
In addition, Faith has also retained all rights to her work, something that distributors who had approached her wanted her to relinquish. Truly a one-woman-
shop, Faith Trimel’s life proves to any skeptic that you can indeed create something from nothing despite what naysayers might have say about your dreams.
Unlike other artists who try to remain instep with the mainstream, Faith is not at all afraid of being typecast or labeled as the “lesbian” or “gay” filmmaker. She
remains committed to writing, producing, directing, editing, and distributing films which reflect her own personal experience whether it be black, lesbian/gay or
both. “My motivation and the point for me doing this is to speak truth and to make great stories.”
A native of Chicago, a long time resident of Atlanta, and a now a new transplant to Los Angeles, Faith always knew she would find her way out west. And like
any proactive individual continuously seeking growth and expansion, Faith is already at work with her newest film which goes into production this coming fall
2006.
“It’s a film that deals with a group of friends who deal dire consequences of being in the closet and after hitting a breaking point they decide to deal with the dire
consequences of coming out. It’s a dramedy, surrounding a group of friends. It’s a real cute story and ensemble piece” Faith explains.
The new movie is targeted for release in the Spring/Summer of 2007. Faith will be screening her first film, “Black Aura on An Angel” in Los Angeles at an In the
Meantime Men’s meeting this coming Tuesday, March 23. Details are below. Finally, Faith Trimel’s advice to anyone seeking a similar career in filmmaking is
that it truly “it takes a lot of faith to make films, no pun intended,” but she also stress learning, reading, and studying the numerous aspects of the business as she
has done over the past few years.
movie beyond just making the decision to create it? Each is just a long step, it really truly is.
It just took a lot of work. I can just remember days muddling online searching, notes, and books, and whole days at the bookstores and two days at the library
because I knew nothing because I really didn’t have a mentor.” In addition, Faith even taught herself how to edit film but most of all she co-starred in the film,
so her film acting career isn’t dead after all.
Thus in her never-ending pursuit to get her film shot and distributed, Faith did something pretty remarkable. She shot to hell any and everything Hollywood and
anyone else would have to say about the viability of her film. Instead of listening to those who would tell her what her film could or could not do, and how it
would and would not be able to be marketed, she continued to press forward and today self-distributes her Black Aura on An Angel through her own distribution
company.
In addition, Faith has also retained all rights to her work, something that distributors who had approached her wanted her to relinquish. Truly a one-woman-
shop, Faith Trimel’s life proves to any skeptic that you can indeed create something from nothing despite what naysayers might have say about your dreams.
Unlike other artists who try to remain instep with the mainstream, Faith is not at all afraid of being typecast or labeled as the “lesbian” or “gay” filmmaker. She
remains committed to writing, producing, directing, editing, and distributing films which reflect her own personal experience whether it be black, lesbian/gay or
both. “My motivation and the point for me doing this is to speak truth and to make great stories.”
A native of Chicago, a long time resident of Atlanta, and a now a new transplant to Los Angeles, Faith always knew she would find her way out west. And like
any proactive individual continuously seeking growth and expansion, Faith is already at work with her newest film which goes into production this coming fall
2006.
“It’s a film that deals with a group of friends who deal dire consequences of being in the closet and after hitting a breaking point they decide to deal with the dire
consequences of coming out. It’s a dramedy, surrounding a group of friends. It’s a real cute story and ensemble piece” Faith explains.
The new movie is targeted for release in the Spring/Summer of 2007. Faith will be screening her first film, “Black Aura on An Angel” in Los Angeles at an In the
Meantime Men’s meeting this coming Tuesday, March 23. Details are below. Finally, Faith Trimel’s advice to anyone seeking a similar career in filmmaking is
that it truly “it takes a lot of faith to make films, no pun intended,” but she also stress learning, reading, and studying the numerous aspects of the business as she
has done over the past few years.