In 1995, Ward James Riley, the writer of MY LETTER TO THE WORLD, presented me, Alex Lugones with the idea of making a documentary about Emily Dickinson. He wrote a script, which inspired me enough to take a day trip to Amherst, Massachusetts, where Emily spent most her life. It was only a matter of time before Emily Dickinson captivated me. She represents the rawest intention of artists, performers and writers everywhere. It comes down to the partnership of the artist and the artist's audience.

Emily endured discrimination because she was a woman. She had an uphill battle, which she eventually won posthumously. Growing up as a Cuban-American introduced me to a fair share of discrimination. I can identify with the loneliness and prejudice endured by minorities. My parents came to the United States when Fidel Castro turned Cuba into a communist country and Americans began to view Cubans in a negative way. To adapt, I had to find a way to take people's negative thoughts and change them into positive ones. At the age of ten, I began making 8mm movies - writing, directing, and acting, sometimes all at once. My intent was to use my movie camera to escape, instead, the curiosity of my classmates provided me with a reliable group of friends who helped or acted in my films.

My early filmmaking efforts got me accepted into SUNY at Purchase's Theater Arts and Film Program. As a senior, I shot BONE WHITE in New York and California. This thesis film, preceding my BFA degree was showcased at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum. I also wrote, produced, and directed several short-subject cable programs, which received two A.C.E. (Awards for Cable Excellence) nominations. I founded Wildseed 3D, a new media consulting and production company operated solely since 1996.

During the spring of 2000, I began to regain my desire to shoot film again. I called Ward Riley and we threw some ideas around. I brought up the Emily Dickinson documentary. But, this time, I was interested in making a drama about Emily, not a documentary. I wanted to see a slice of Emily's life. The more I thought about it the more my enthusiasm for the project grew. After a while, reality set in, I was concerned about making a period film with a tight budget. At this point, MY LETTER TO THE WORLD was only an idea.

Through summer and fall, I was overloaded with 3D animation work, and became increasingly aware of the advantages of digital video. If properly executed it could even be transferred to 35mm film. Since making a feature length period piece was out of the question, I decided to make a short film. It would be entirely made out-of-pocket. Once I convinced myself to take the financial leap, I called Ward and asked him to write a short screenplay about Emily Dickinson. We both decided that if we could pick any moment in her life it would have to be her meeting with Thomas Higginson on August 16, 1870. Higginson was instrumental in breaking Emily Dickinson's spirit after giving her less than positive career advice. After the meeting, Emily Dickinson never attempted to publish her poetry again. Not only is this moment historic, but possibly the most emotional moment in her life, forcing her to face the realities of repression in Victorian America.

MY LETTER TO THE WORLD without a doubt is a film that is character driven. The focus must be on the emotional exchange between Emily and Higginson, challenging their unwavering intellectual beliefs. The emotional challenge causes them to contradict their beliefs. This methodology will allow the mood of the movie to grow from their encounter.

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