Take 5 with "Treat or Eat"

As we gear up for the Oxford Film Festival 2011 to be held at the Malco Studio Theater on Feb. 10-13, 2011, we thought we might introduce you to some of the people behind the movies we can't wait to show you.

Meet Take 5 filmmaker, April Wren, who has two short films, "Treat or Eat," and "The Mistake" playing in the Mississippi shorts block on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 4:45 p.m. Wren answers questions below about "Treat or Eat."
For the full schedule and description of the films, visit www.oxfordfilmfest.com.

Q. 1: In 140 characters or less, describe your movie and why someone should see it.

A: It's about a girl who is terrified about trick-or-treating because her older sister has filled her head with horror stories about a man who eats children on Halloween. It may sound predictable, but I think it will surprise people.

Q. 2: Biggest lesson learned in getting the film made? Best part in getting the film made?

A: This was my first time to do a casting call for one of my films. In the past, I've only had to gather a few extras (mostly friends), but for this film, I had to cast older adults and children (something I'd never had experience with). Since I was trying to meet a deadline for a Halloween themed festival, I only had a week to cast, which was extremely stressful. It all came together though and gave me experience in reviewing resumes and making decisions about who would best fit each part. The best part in getting the film made was the satisfaction that it was cast perfectly and I had a great crew! I could not have been more pleased with the performances and hard work of everyone involved.

Q. 3: Tell us about you. What is your movie making background?

A: I started helping my friend Michael Williams with some of his films in 2006. By 2008, I was writing and directing my own short films. I've been helping Michael in addition to working on some of my own projects ever since.

Q. 4: What's your dream distribution plan for the film?

A: My main goal for the film is to show it at several festivals.

Q. 5: What does the future hold in store for your film and for you?

A: I would like to see "Treat or Eat" show at some more festivals. Other than that, I've been working on another script for the past few months and am hoping to be able to start filming it soon. It's a short experimental that I've had an idea for for a long time, so I'm eager to see something come of it.