Welcome to Gehenna: September 2026 Recap.
No new shooting this month, but the hustle never stops: tracking every creative spark, sacrificing bucket-list plans for the sake of the film, and nervously prepping for festival screenings with family in tow.
Living and Creating with Bipolar Disorder.
In 1992, the World Federation for Mental Health began World Mental Health Day. Since then, every October 10 is set aside to raise awareness and reduce the stigma faced by those living with mental illnesses. This year’s theme, “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change,” focuses on giving people with lived experience (PWLE) a voice in driving a meaningful shift in how the world sees us.
“Us.” That’s not an easy thing to write.
A Weekend of Film Festivals, Nostalgia, and Community.
For a filmmaker, few things rival the magic of a film festival. Where else can you watch a new voice rise, connect with cinephiles from all backgrounds, and feel the thrill of sitting in a room full of strangers, listening in silence as they react to your work?
If the rest of Team Beau Ideal had anything close to the same expierence as me, last weekend must have felt like a dream. We had screenings at both the Local Sightings Film Festival in Seattle and the North Idaho Film Festival (NoID) in Coeur d’Alene. When Patrick told me we were going to show the film at two different festivals on the same weekend, only to later find out the screenings were in the same time slot, I was floored. It was obviously exciting, since it's already challenging to get into one festival, and these were our sixth and seventh festival appearances. However, having two screenings at the same time is madness! We wished we could share both experiences, but in the end, we knew the best way forward was to split our responsibilities: Patrick would head to Seattle while I went to Coeur d’Alene, and that meant the world to me since I have a fond history with the area.
Welcome to Gehenna: August 2026 Recap.
The biggest chunk of filming is still months away, set for May 2027. But between now and then, we’re laying down a foundation. Backstory. This isn’t just for the cast and their characters, but for the dynamic of our team. Our goal isn’t to rehearse lines or block scenes, as important as that will be later, but to immerse ourselves in this world, letting unexpected relationships and quirks emerge.
Except for a few scenes here and there, we aren’t relying much on the actual script. Not yet. Each morning, I’ll hand the cast a general idea for the day. Maybe it’s a scenario, a feeling, or a question to explore. From there, it’s all improv. Messy. Unpredictable. And electric. Then we wait. We wait for moments of real discovery. And it may not happen. That’s perfectly okay. What I want to see will happen when nobody is trying. Someone may say something offhand or make a haphazard choice that works and surprises even themselves. Authenticity born out of months of play.