First-time director Emily Alpren 'nervous' about coming home to Milwaukee Film Festival with short film 'Trying'
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Emily Alpren is nervous about coming home.
An actor and a faculty member of the University of Southern California's School of Dramatic Arts for six years, Alpren is coming back to her native Milwaukee next week for a screening of her directorial film debut, "Trying."
The movie, about a woman's journey with infertility, is showing at the 2023 Milwaukee Film Festival in the "Stories We Tell" shorts program, at 7 p.m. May 1 at the Oriental Theatre. Alpren will be at the screening.
The short film has screened before, at other festivals and twice at Hollywood's storied TCL (formerly Mann's and Grauman's) Chinese Theatre. But this is different.
“I grew up at the Oriental and the Downer. This is where I had my first crushes — you know what I mean?” Alpren said in a phone interview from Los Angeles. “Playing at the Mann’s Chinese Theatre is really cool, but honestly, playing at the Oriental is like a dream come true. It’s so meaningful to me. I'm so nervous.”
'Didn't want to make a PSA'
Alpren has directed music videos and theater works, and has film and television credits in front of the camera in addition to her theater work. But directing her first movie was a revelation.
“The biggest takeaway of moving into film is it’s this social medium where everyone’s voices can really shine,” Alpren said.
"Trying" started with Abby Wathen, an actor and friend of Alpren's, both in their 30s. A few years ago, Wathen had been going through a "rough time," Alpren said, and finally told her friend that she'd had a miscarriage a few months earlier. To help process the experience, Wathen had written a screenplay; she asked Alpren to read it.
“She sent me a rough script of her own story, and it was heartbreaking," Alpren said. She knew other friends who were dealing with infertility issues at the time, even though it wasn't a story people talked about.
“This is Abby’s story, but it also (could be) based on the true story of 186 million people,” she said.
Alpren helped with Wathen's script, and they crafted a short film that paralleled the journey of an unnamed woman ("Wife" in the credits), played by Wathen, as she goes from trying to get pregnant to getting that positive test to miscarriage.
“I didn’t want to make a PSA (public service announcement) about infertility. I wanted to create an actual film that was funny at times and was magic at times," Alpren said. "Fortunately, she’s such a gifted actress it was sort of easy for her that she rolled with the punches, and here we are.”
From experimental theater to teaching to directing
Alpren got her start in experimental theater in New York City, then "got pulled to L.A. kicking and screaming" by her husband, writer-showrunner Ben Nedivi ("For All Mankind"). They have two kids, ages 3 and 7. While she loves teaching, Alpren appreciated having an outlet for self-expression.
“My own need to speak as a creative person as an artist naturally sort of lent itself to film," she said. "Frankly, it’s more manageable with kids, and I got very immersed in the culture here in Los Angeles.”
As is often the case with independent filmmaking, getting "Trying" to the finish line proved to be a long haul. Filming was completed by the end of 2019, and they had a "very rough" cut within a few weeks. Alpren's youngest child was born in February 2020; as she headed for maternity leave, she thought she'd have time to work on postproduction.
“Then the world shut down,” Alpren said.
For a low-budget production — Alpren estimated the movie cost $6,500, “and that’s mostly for feeding people” — "Trying" has a polished look. The seven-minute movie, all without dialogue, has generated more than seven minutes of conversation after its screenings at festivals.
“Something I’ve really enjoyed, when this is playing in festivals, the Q&As after … could last another hour and a half," Alpren said. "And it’s not because of the film. There’s just so many people in the audience who see themselves in the protagonist. I'm so grateful for that. They saw their own stories told.”
Alpren definitely sees more film directing in her future: “I just never thought I’d ever leave the theater, but film is a very great lover. … I'm just sort of enamored.”
RELATED: 33 movies you should check out at the 2023 Milwaukee Film Festival
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Emily Alpren comes home to Milwaukee Film Festival with first film
