As a filmmaker, I really want to utilize the tools to carry the voice - my voice, and the voice of the characters.

My films are personal-voice-driven films about human characters and the place we live. Technically, I'm an independent filmmaker.

I didn't really want to be a filmmaker, growing up. Other than Spike Lee's movies, I would think, 'Where is a place for me?' We were so damn poor that it just seemed too far beyond.

As a filmmaker whose first film was made with the DIY tools of digital cinema, I love how the democratization of the filmmaking process and platforms like YouTube enables people to tell stories that in previous generations simply could not be told.

Making films. It gave me a voice. Legitimately saved me.

Until 'Moonlight,' I had never seen one black man cook for another on screen. But I wanted the characters to be free of 'groundbreaking' or 'never before.' We were ascribed those things. They weren't the point.