RapidChat: Jash’d Belcher on love, inspiration, a girl, a boy, and a dream.

Faith-based film 'A Girl. A Boy. A Dream.' recently made its grand debut at the Sundance Film Festival, with a little help from local film producer, Jash'd Belcher. As we aspire towards unity as a nation, "we need more love and things to inspire us to be our greatest," explains Belcher. This film sets out to enact just that.

Rapid Growth: Is there anything from your personal life that made its way into the story line for ‘A Girl. A Boy. A Dream.’?

Jash’d Belcher: Although the lead character and I both have been club promoters, there is none of my personal life in this film.

RG: What brought you down the path of becoming a film producer? 

JB: Filmmaking has been a dream of mine since I was in junior high. I went to undergrad with the intentions of getting a film degree. Spike Lee received his film degree while attending Morehouse College. When I began Morehouse, they no longer offered the film degree. I had to then change my major to business administration.

My best friend, Datari Turner, has produced almost 30 films in the past six years. I expressed my interested in film to him and he provided me with the opportunity to enter the field.

RG: Has having a degree in business helped you any within your career as a creative?

JB: It has. Having a business degree while being creative offers an advantage that I’m grateful for.

RG: What films have you worked on prior to this?

JB: Supermodel and Adulterers. Both films can be seen on Netflix.

RG: Leading up to the film’s debut at the Sundance Film Festival, what was your everyday life like?

JB: My life was busy with countless conference calls to prepare for Sundance. I managed our film’s social media page and our Sundance campaign reached over 14 million people. I also work closely with our PR team at ONE/35 Agency. Variety ran an amazing story about our project.

RG: Right now in your life, how are things different and/or the same?

JB: Our goal was first Sundance and then to close a distribution deal. Now we focus on strategically releasing ‘A boy. A girl. A dream’. So now we have meetings with a new focus. That focus is to get our film’s message out to the universe. Our film is a faith-based film about hope, love, and inspiration. 

RG: Why do you think that is such an important message to share with the universe?

JB: At this time in history, our nation is greatly divided. It’s times like this that we need more love and things to inspire us to be our greatest. 

RG: Do you have any advice for anyone aspiring to go into the film industry? // Is there a market/network you believe people should be tapping into?

JB: Learn as much as you can about the industry. Enroll in the camps at the Sundance Institute and find a great place to intern. Create your own content.

RG: Where do you see the future of film within Grand Rapids heading?

JB: I’m hopeful that the state film incentives will return and that will boost our film economy. I believe that Grand Rapids offers ideal locations for filming. We have truly talented people and it’s time to get our stories out. 

RG: When and where can we expect to see the movie be released?

JB: ‘A Girl. A Boy. A Dream.’ will be in theaters, across the country, this fall.

Jenna Morton is the RapidChat correspondent for Rapid Growth Media.