We were lucky to catch up with Shalyn Delhaes recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Shalyn, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.
The biggest risk I ever took was at 18, just after graduating high school in Germany. It was a pivotal moment when my dad received a job offer in the U.S., presenting me with a daunting decision: to leave my home country behind and venture into the unknown. Despite the wrenching prospect of saying goodbye to friends and family, I saw this as my chance to pursue my dream of filmmaking in a country of greater opportunities. With a heart full of uncertainty but determination, I embarked on this journey to Ohio with my parents, knowing that America offered a fertile ground for my aspirations. Upon arrival, I found myself navigating through a maze of unfamiliar customs and a language not native to me. It was a daunting leap, thrusting me into an entirely new life filled with new faces and uncharted territories. But it was also a transformative experience, one that taught me to adapt swiftly to new surroundings and embrace change with open arms. Despite the risks, I took the plunge, applying to film schools across the country, determined to turn my passion into reality. And in doing so, I discovered a strength within myself that I never knew existed. This risk was undeniably worth it, propelling me closer to my passion and broadening my horizons beyond measure. Today, as I look back, I am grateful for the courage that propelled me forward and the opportunities that awaited on the other side of fear.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
As a queer filmmaker, my focus lies in crafting narratives that illuminate the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community. My journey into this passion began with the production of my independent short film “Boysenberry Night.” This project was pivotal in revealing my dedication to amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups on screen.
The story deals with a High School play of Romeo and Juliet, but both characters experience gender dysphoria and secretly wish to play each other’s roles. The story is rooted my co-writers/directors/producers personal experience as a gender-questioning artist, along with my passion for sharing this perspective that is rarely seen in mainstream media. We’re both members of the queer community and have the desire to reach out to others feeling similar emotions and to promote freedom of expression. We believe that our queerness offers us a unique perspective that leads to the creation of beautiful, and essentially queer filmmaking. We feel this generation of filmmakers can create change for a more accepting and liberated world through abandoning harmful labels and welcoming the ambiguity of sexuality, gender, and queer identity. This is a story we needed growing up and we want to reach out with open arms to help others who have felt silenced.
When starting the project, we were unsure if people would understand or relate to the characters and the story. Come time for casting we asked those auditioning to share whether or not they identified with the roles and any experience they felt comfortable enough to share. We made connections with so many actors that expressed how they felt seen and understood when reading the script. They emphasized its ability to evoke those complex emotions of dysphoria and struggle to explain how you are feeling to the ones you love. People cried during the auditions, they thanked us for writing something that they had never seen in the media before, and this connection we all felt meant more to all of us than the film itself.
It wasn’t until that moment that we fully realized how important representation is, how important it is to tell your story even if you fear being misunderstood because it is likely that someone out there needs to hear it.
In my latest endeavor, “Dandelion,” a production supported by the American Film Institute (AFI), the narrative unfolds in the midst of the gay rights movement of the 1970s when multiple advocacy groups began popping up in cities all across the country. One, “Youth Advocates” in Seattle, was set up to quietly match queer foster kids with openly gay adults in the area using government funds. The film follows Margaret, a queer teenager who needs a new home and undergoes this process.
Additionally, I’m currently working on an animated independent short film, which takes place in Germany during the refugee crisis in 2015. It’s about a German girl and a Syrian girl meeting on the bus and becoming friends. The story is inspired by my own experiences when I lived there and taught refugee children the German language, it’s supposed to represent a political crisis from a child’s POV.
Lastly, I’m a cinematographer for an independent feature documentary that deals with the Cambodian adoption scandal. The project gained significant media attention already, with features in ‘VICE World News,’ ‘Film Independent,’ ‘Daily Mail,’ and ‘The Sun.’ Our team even produced a promo reel with the support of Christopher Gill & Alyse Walsh (Alyse is an Emmy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker, renowned for her work on the Apple TV show “Home” in collaboration with A24, as well as her contributions to Netflix).
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1.) Perseverance 2.) Networking
3.) Determination
My biggest advice would be to accept the ups and downs and don’t let the ‘downs’ deter you from your path. Since living in LA and pursuing filmmaking full time, I’ve had a couple amazing weeks where everything seemed to align and work out in my favor, and then I’ve had weeks of feeling incredibly frustrated and things falling apart. However, if you can make it through those tough weeks it’s going to pay off in the end.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
As a filmmaker, the journey is often riddled with unforeseen challenges and obstacles that test both creativity and resilience. One such instance stands out vividly in my memory during the production of my independent film “Boysenberry Night,” a project I co-wrote, co-directed, and co-produced.
The night before our eagerly anticipated first day of shooting, our carefully laid plans were thrown into disarray when our sound guy unexpectedly pulled out from the project via an 11 PM email. Compounding the issue was the fact that he was also our sole source of sound equipment, having agreed to provide his own gear for the shoot. In a frantic scramble, my partner and I found ourselves facing a critical decision-making moment. With no time to spare, we reached out to every contact we had, desperately seeking a replacement sound technician and equipment. Through sheer determination and the power of our network, we miraculously secured the necessary equipment that very night, hastily arranging contracts and logistical details in a race against the impending shoot.
However, the trials didn’t end there. On the third day of filming, amidst the chaos of our lunch break, news of a looming tornado warning sent shockwaves through our production team. Faced with the daunting task of prioritizing the safety of our crew against the pressing demands of our tight schedule and minuscule budget, we found ourselves at a crossroads. Ultimately, we made the difficult yet unequivocal decision to prioritize the well-being of our team, opting to send everyone home safely via Uber rides.
Yet, this decision came with its own set of consequences. With half a day lost, we were forced to hastily reconfigure our shooting schedule for the remaining day, meticulously orchestrating every detail to ensure we captured the essential footage while avoiding overburdening our already exhausted crew. It was a lesson in adaptability, teamwork, and above all, problem-solving under pressure.
Through these trials, I learned invaluable lessons about the importance of swift decision-making, effective collaboration with department heads, and the indispensable art of creative problem-solving. Each hurdle became an opportunity for growth, shaping not only the trajectory of our production but also honing my skills as a filmmaker. In the end, “Boysenberry Night” emerged as a testament to our resilience and unwavering dedication to our craft, proving that even in the face of adversity, the indomitable spirit of filmmaking perseveres.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shalyndelhaes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shalynvfm/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shalyndelhaes/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@shalynsfilms
- Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13526292/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
