Brad Lincoln and Irene Delmonte Lincoln married in 2008. In 2009, they tried to start a film company, but the initial effort didn’t materialize. The couple freelanced on films in Missouri and Florida. They knew the chance to have a film company would be more than themselves.
“The passion to make films is there,” Brad says. “I knew through networking and those with other similar interests, that we had come upon the time to start something. We knew it would need to be more than Irene and me.” Irene says filmmaking is a team sport. “While Brad and I wear many hats, we have to have others helping. I may look at set design, wardrobe and script writing and Brad handles cinematography and editing, we need others. Making a film, whether it is a short film or feature, requires lots of hands.”
The drought of 2012 motivated Brad to look into a short film called Dry Season, inspired by his stepfather’s need to harvest his crops earlier. “The catalyst, the realization came that we can make movies,” he says. So the couple embarked on a short science fiction film called Bennu: The Rise. They submitted the short for a few contests and took first place and they even found the short run on CinemaKC. In February of 2013, preproduction started on Adira. The movie was cast in April and shooting began in July 2013. Irene wrote the film.
Initially the script was 25 pages and the Lincolns had scheduled a six-day shoot. “We asked for a budget that would be what is needed for a short film,” Brad says. The couple gained the necessary capital through a crowd-funding effort. “It was not my intent to draw things out, but I had an epiphany that we had feature film content. I didn’t want it to be one of those directors who took a short film and stretched out scenes to make it a full-length feature.” Irene expounds on the contributors. “People wanted the story told and they put funds behind that.” Brad says the crowd funding was an event. “Everything we do has great thought and we were going to make this film, no matter what.”
Adira, written by Irene after substantial research, is set during the Holocaust as a young Jewish girl, played by actress Andrea Fantauzzi, flees from the grasp of the Gestapo and finds herself stranded on an abandoned farm. The story looks at one teenage girl whose family is taken.
“I would say I wrote 95 percent and Brad’s role in writing was about 5 percent. Of course, we shared ideas and editing,” she says. “One of the toughest things for me was to make sure that I got the correct ranks on the soldiers. I had a history professor in Texas who aided me. I had to make sure the British paratroopers were accurate. Then I worked to ensure my Hebrew was accurate, especially with the Traveler’s Prayer. I wanted to make sure no one has cause to walk away from the film because of inaccuracies.” The Lincolns also had help from a local German re-enactors’ group. “They have pride in their collections,” Brad says.
Between 1933 and 1945, millions of children were displaced as a result of persecution by the Nazis and their collaborators. After World War II, relief agencies photographed children in hopes of trying to reunite families. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum continues the effort with an active site called Remember Me? It is a global effort to identify photos of thousands of children displaced after the Holocaust.
Most films are multilayered. Irene supports this with not only the defining element of war and the Holocaust. “Beyond that, there is the story of family and how we can hang on to family lessons and morals while building our own families. Adira gets to figure out how to continue the journey of right and wrong,” she says. “I really think moviegoers, audiences today, want strong females. In the books such as The Diary of Anne Frank and Number the Stars, young female characters are clear. I wanted to show some reality and truth. Adira’s story is bittersweet. The gifts that her parents bestowed on her are part of her life.”
The first showing for friends, family, cast and crew came in early February. “I figured people will love or hate the film screening,” Brad says. Irene declared her surprise. “I was blown away with the question and answer period after the film. People offered us praise. I wondered if there would be doubters.” Both appreciated the audience’s laughter and gasps. “We were thrilled with the genuine reaction.”
Brad disclosed that spending hours and hours editing, he questioned if people would like Adira. “It caught me off guard,” he says. “After the showing, we found we had a fan base going. I was just trying to get our name out there in hopes of finding more collaborators. We had people posting about the movie. The hope for us was to see that we have the ability to make feature films, not just on weekends and not just for a hobby.”
Brad figures Irene will continue to develop as a producer. “She and I collaborate and that shift occurs depending on the needs of the film. I handle the technical side and Irene looks at wardrobes. We really do trade on and off as needed.”
The future of Adira includes submitting the film to several film festivals such as the Seattle International Film Festival and Toronto. Irene hopes to see the film as part of a festival that is known for showing Oscar-qualifying films. “Producers often shop these festivals,” Irene says. “Another goal is to see the film at local festivals too. “It would be a great feature on the Hallmark Channel too.”
As for Hidden District Studios, another science fiction script is in the works with Brad leading the writing. “I want to try to revisit this soon. It’s masculine,” he says. “Our mindset is that we have unlimited possibilities, not only in how we tell the story, but in our own filmmaking. If I want a more family friendly film, then that is what we’ll do. You can tell a story without extreme violence, even with a Holocaust film such as Adira. We are driven by our motto: ‘Where possibility … is reality.’ We want to see Hidden District become a film hub and a place for many to gain recognition. It is always about improving on ourselves. We do hope for the best.”
