“Before, ‘I Do,’” Producer David Anderson, Writer/Director/Executive Producer Kimberly D. Conner, actress Thea Camara and her son Shain were in attendance for the screening of the movie at the Lincoln

“Before, 'I Do',” director Kimberly D. Conner joins audience and shares how she puts her movies together

[October 20, 2016]   LINCOLN - Rarely does one go to a movie and share the theater with the writer, or the director, or the producer. Yet on Sunday evening at the Lincoln Film Festival that is, indeed, what happened.

The Lincoln Film Festival offered over two dozen movies and presentations on Saturday and Sunday that ranged in length between five minutes and over two hours.

“Before 'I do',” a firefighter story with heart was one of the full feature movie presentations.

Kimberly D. Conner was in the audience to watch her film, “Before, ‘I Do” with the moviegoers. Kimberly wrote, directed, and produced her award-winning script.

The film has been selected for 10 Film Festivals with more admissions having been submitted.

Before, “I Do” will screen at the Women’s International Film & Arts Festival, “an event featuring films, visual and performance arts produced by and about women,” in Miami, Florida in November.

Kimberly shared during a Q&A time after the showing of her film that she has always loved writing. After watching a bad movie, she thought, “I can do better than that” and her debut film “This Life Ain’t Pretty” premiered in 2009.

“Before, ‘I Do” is her third film with a fourth in pre-production. While there are software programs available for story, Kimberly prefers the “sticky-note method.” She is able to move the sticky notes with her ideas, quotes, and random thoughts around on a story board until they make sense. She told the audience, “I often know where I want the story to go, but I have to put all the pieces of the puzzle together to get it there.”

According to Kimberly, each time she reviews a film it is different. “It is always an amazing feeling to see my work on the big screen.”

Kimberly was quick to give credit where credit was due saying, “It takes a village to make a film. There are people in the credits that I have never met.” A few members of the “Before, ‘I Do’” village were with Kimberly for the Lincoln Film Festival.

With camera in hand, Producer David Anderson, was by her side filming the Q&A. Kimberly and David have worked on several projects together and obviously, as they bantered back and forth, have a mutual respect for each other.

Also, attending was actress, Thea Camara. Thea started to pursue her dream of acting in 2008.

Kimberly said, “Thea blew me away. She brought props to her first audition.” Thea has had a part in all three of Kimberly’s films, auditioning for each one.

Thea said that when she watches herself in a film she is remembering what she was thinking during each moment and she judges herself on the performance.

Her son, Shain, is very proud of his mom saying, “She is pursuing her dream and she is an inspiration for me to pursue mine.”

Kimberly is hoping that the Lincoln Film Festival has been a huge success. She is looking forward to next year.

[Lisa Ramlow]

Notes:

The screen play for Before “I do” placed as a semi-finalist in the top 100 of 1,500 entries in the Creative Screenwriting Magazine’s AAA Screenplay Competition.  The film is now an official selection in the 2016 Roxbury International Film Festival.  It will premiere in Boston, MA.

See the description and trailer Before “I do”
http://www.lincolnfilmfestival.com/before-i-do