Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Filmmaker Angel Constantinou Is Helping To Change Our World
Always have back up cast in case someone pulls out last minute. The actress who was to play Yasmin got sick last minute, and I stepped in to play the part. Luckily, my past life as a performer helped and I wasn’t too bad, even if I do say so myself 😉
As a part of our series about “Filmmakers Making A Social Impact” I had the pleasure of interviewing Angel Constantinou.
Screenwriter and director Angel Constantinou’s debut, Boy, highlights challenging times for mental health care. The film is a dark and poetic journey through the lives and minds of two different boys, both with complex family backgrounds. Boy is in aid of charities Young Minds and Doitfordrayke and will be available to stream on Apple TV from July 19th.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you share your “backstory” that brought you to this career?
Thank you for having me. Originally, I went to drama school, and I’ve been a performer for 22 years. However, it was always my dream to be behind the camera and create the story, so when Covid happened, and we were all stuck indoors, I made an outlet for my creativity by writing — my first love! I then went part-time to film school as I was juggling motherhood and caring for my disabled mother, and I honed my craft of screenwriting. Now, Angel the writer/director is born!
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
If you’re smart, you’ll realise there are no mistakes, only lessons. I think the funniest mistake I made, and still make, because I’m not a technical director, I’m more emotional and creative, is using wrong terms for cameras to my crew. I’m sure I frustrated them at first, but once the story came to life and they saw my vision, they understood exactly how I worked.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I have been in situations where I’ve worked with celebrities etc, but the most interesting people so far for me, were the young cast of ‘Boy’, whose ages ranged from 12–18! Their sheer talent and hard work ethic alone was outstanding, but also the way they quickly shifted into ‘play’ mode when they had a break between scenes was phenomenal. I also learned all the slang terms so I’m very cool now 😉
Which people in history inspire you the most? Why?
My paternal grandmother who died before I was born was Egyptian and she was a dancer in a time when that was very taboo. She married my grandfather who was happy for her to continue her art when she became a mother, and the stories about her to this day are very interesting. She apparently danced for kings in Cairo who paid her with jewels, some of which I have, but most were destroyed in the war. That is my original strong working mum inspiration right there.
Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, how are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting social impact causes you are working on right now?
Most of my work is with Young Minds charity, whose outstanding work for young people’s mental health is unparalleled. We had the London premiere of ‘Boy’ and invited them to talk to the audience and they raised money and awareness. I’m also releasing the theme song to the film, a week before the film, and all proceeds from that will go to the YoungMinds charity.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest them. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and take action for this cause? What was that final trigger?
This is a great question; For many years I was writing songs, but something was missing. I’d heard so many people try but give up on writing a film. The aha moment came to me when I was vomit drafting a script for ‘Boy’ which was really good but made zero sense. During the second lockdown, I knew I had to perhaps study screenwriting and muster up how to format a script properly. So I did.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
Three very kind crowdfunders donated generously to the making of the film because their young children had gone through either bullying or a mental health crisis. After the premiere, surprisingly, a lot of people came up to me and said it has helped them realise that there is help out there and that they’re not alone. Even adults!
Are there three things that individuals, society or the government can do to support you in this effort?
The film must be shown in as many schools as possible, more funding for social impact films and access for young people to get help with their mental health first.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
- Always have back up cast in case someone pulls out last minute. The actress who was to play Yasmin got sick last minute, and I stepped in to play the part. Luckily, my past life as a performer helped and I wasn’t too bad, even if I do say so myself 😉
- ‘Kill more of your babies’ (don’t worry, this is a writer term for cut your script) at the script drafting stage. Once I started shooting, I visually was able to make the film better once I cut scenes. You never know this when you’re in the writing process.
- Don’t be scared to direct. Because I only wanted to be the screenwriter initially, I didn’t think I could direct the film. However, if you’re bold enough to do both, the writer and director won’t argue and might finish on schedule 🙂
- Book an extra day/week shoot depending on your budget. Things can cause delays and that one day extra could help so much. One day I decided to shut the set down for a couple of hours because one of my cast wasn’t feeling too well. We almost lost the lighting, but their feelings and health were more important. We did get there eventually
- Just make the film. Don’t spend too long pondering if you’ve got what it takes. The fact that you are at script stage is already a miracle. Just do it!
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Always do! You can never go wrong with making a positive impact. The young people are the future. They need to be bold and do what is in their heart. They know inside of them. It’s a case of nurturing that feeling
We are very blessed that many other Social Impact Heroes read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would like to collaborate with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
So many. I would have to say Angelina Jolie and Cate Blanchett. They are really doing it all! Work, motherhood and making an impact on the world through charities and education.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My father, who passed away when I was a child, God rest his soul, used to say something in Greek, when something I was expecting didn’t go my way. It translated to ‘every obstacle is for the greater good’. It helped me navigate my way through rejection, which in my career, past and present is inevitable.
How can our readers follow you online?
www.instagram.com/angelconst3/
This was great, thank you so much for sharing your story and doing this
with us. We wish you continued success!
Thank you for such amazing questions! Have a blessed day!
Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Filmmaker Angel Constantinou Is Helping To Change Our… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.