Movies You Made: “Lonely Boy”

Scott Myers

27 Mar 2014 • 3 min read

March is Movies You Made month at Go Into The Story where we feature the work of some independent filmmakers.

Today: Lonely Boy.

Production notes from writer-actor Alev Aydin:

The feature film is Lonely Boy. I wrote/produced/starred in it. I also paid for half of it. And while I primarily wrote it out of frustration with my acting career and wanted to create a showcase piece for myself, it ultimately became so much more than that.

I’m a native New Yorker, but I was living in LA for about 4 or 5 years when I got a call that my mother had fallen ill with a brain tumor. I immediately moved back to NY to take care of her, and because I subsequently no longer had the luxury to pursue acting in the traditional sense (auditions, classes, etc), I decided to commit to a different artistic outlet: screenwriting.

I first wrote an original, one-hour drama pilot with a friend. Then I created a web series with another friend (1st ep, 2nd ep and 3rd ep). And then I wrote Lonely Boy on my own. A feature narrative film that deals with disease, (schizophrenia, specifically) and the effects it has not only on the afflicted, but also on the loved ones around that person.

I wrote the first draft of Lonely Boy in 20-something days. Just shot right out of me. And when I asked my friend (who’s now my producing partner through our company, Exit 43 Productions), Troy Daniel Smith, to help me make it, Troy’s response was: “I don’t know how to make a movie, but let’s learn.” And that’s what we did. While I spent about 2 years rewriting the script and readying it for production, we started to build our team.

The best decision we made was to surround ourselves with true collaborators who knew a lot more about filmmaking than we did. Namely, our Director, Dale Fabrigar, our DoP, Patrick Meade Jones, and our incredibly generous CD, Howard Meltzer. With them and with the help of others like our co- and associate producers, we achieved what most people warned us was unachievable: we made a beautiful film. An award-winning film!

In further applying our DIY mentality, we’re partnering with wonderful companies like Kinonation and VHX on our “self”-distribution strategy which includes a multi-platform VOD release this summer.

Director: Dale Fabrigar
Writer/Producer/EP: Alev Aydin
Producer/EP: Troy Daniel Smith
DoP: Patrick Meade Jones
Editor: John Reyes Nguyen
Casting Director: Howard Meltzer
Co-Producer: Darin Eppich
Associate Producers: Raheem Williams, Andre Andrews, Aida Lembo
Composers: Steven Roth, Matt Dahan

CAST
Alev Aydin, Natalie Distler, Melora Walters, Richard Riehle, Lynn Whitfield, Greg Vrotsos, Mackenzie Astin, Mateus Ward, Jack Plotnick

Here is the trailer for Lonely Boy:

A list of festivals/awards for the film:

2013 Palm Beach International Film Festival — Grand Jury Prize, Best Feature
2013 Lousiana International Film Festival — Grand Jury Prize, Best First Feature
2013 Bolder Life Film Festival — Audience Choice Award

2013 International Film Festival Boston
2013 Phoenix Film Festival
2013 Cinequest Film Festival
2013 Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival
2013 Cincinnati Film Festival

I asked each of the filmmakers in this month’s series to answer this question: What inspired you about this particular story to make it a movie? Here is Alev’s response:

Very early on, as more and more people read the script, it became apparent to me that I had written something that was hitting an emotional chord with readers. Some, who had personally dealt with mental illness, even went so far as to thank me for creating an honest portrayal of the disease. And yes, simply put, that’s what it is, a disease. Not some esoteric pathosis, but rather, a very common illness that effects very normal families. And so, it was imperative to us to make this film. If not for any reason other than the fact that we do our part to normalize something that’s often and wrongly presented as sensational or with stigma. And when I see audience reaction to the film, I’m proud to have written it. And I’m thankful to everyone who helped me make it.

Finally this note from Alev:

I’ve learned the undeniable truth that there really isn’t anything more empowering in this business than being able to write. And once I experienced it first-hand, I’ve continued. So forgive me, but here are some plugs. We’re about to shoot a proof of concept short film this summer. I’ve written and am currently rewriting my second feature script which we hope to shoot in 2015. And to the industry decision makers who may be reading this, I’ve recently completed an original pilot script, Truett Ave. which is available for you to read via The Blacklist, here.

Sign up for more like this.