FSU alum's short film on human trafficking, postpartum depression to screen in Tallahassee

Florida State University alumna Aloura Charles, an award-winning writer, director and filmmaker, struggled with postpartum depression four years ago after her son Jasper Riley was born.

The experience inspired her to write and create the short film “UNDER,” which presents the crucial issues of postpartum depression, but also human trafficking.

“It’s a mom-led project that deals with issues that affect women and moms, and it’s designed to promote awareness while also promoting discussion and openness about these topics,” said Charles, a Tallahassee native who currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

A work-in-progress screening of the short film will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday at Genesis Church on Mission Road, and is open to the public for a 20-minute preview of the film along with refreshments.

Charles attended Leon High School and went on to graduate from FSU’s film school — the College of Motion Picture Arts, where she started making shorts — with a degree in film and television in 1998.

She has been making films for about 20 years, and one of her films, “Star Sisters,” won the International Screenwriter’s Association Grand Prize for Genre last year.

Related news: How one FSU alumna was part of Oscar award-winning 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'

Charles also has projects in development at Roddenberry Entertainment — a production company founded by Eugene Roddenberry Jr., the son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.

In the film UNDER's plot, actress Cat Kim plays the role of Min, a trafficking victim who escapes and hides under the home of Amy — played by actress Katie Hall — who struggles with postpartum depression. Min becomes secretly drawn into Amy's life and is reminded of a child she lost, but the women connect and find hope when Min comes to Amy’s aid.

In 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security agencies assisted 765 human trafficking victims and made 3,655 trafficking-related arrests, according to the department’s website.

In addition, about one in eight women with a recent birth experience symptoms of postpartum depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Reproductive Health.

More on human trafficking: Human trafficking: A network of crime hidden across a vast American landscape

Recent news on postpartum depression: First-ever postpartum depression pill, Zurzuvae, approved by FDA

“When you hear that it’s a movie about postpartum depression and human trafficking, those are both really big, heavy topics,” Charles said. “People assume that the film will be a documentary or a sad and depressing movie, but it’s not. It’s actually a very uplifting and hopeful story that celebrates the power of women connecting and supporting each other.”

The film is being produced through a small production company Charles owns called Southshore Entertainment.

Finn Riley, Charles's husband, was the cinematographer on the short film.

“Aloura and I have worked on projects together in the past, but this one was the most ambitious and personal one to date,” Riley said. “After reading it, I instantly could see and feel the struggles of the two women (in the film). I’m so happy to have worked with her and our son — who appointed himself executive producer after having a brief cameo!”

The Sunday screening event for the short film — which has a budget of $20,000 — includes a fundraiser that will help raise the last 10% of the money needed to complete components of the film such as original music, coloring and sound effects.

Charles says she looks forward to showing her work in the place where she grew up and has been receiving local support.

One of those supporters is Julie McBride, a former teacher of Charles during her childhood in Tallahassee when she was a student at Astoria Park Elementary School.

“Aloura Charles’s creativity and passion for art has always stood out, even in elementary school,” said McBride, who is currently an art education professor at Flagler College. “As one of her former teachers, I’m so pleased to see her passion for the arts helping others and engaging the community.”

Guest speakers Nicole Whitaker, executive director of the non-profit organization Christians Against Trafficking, and FSU alumna Kyra Adams, founder of Maternal and Perinatal Services in Tallahassee, will also be at the screening event to discuss the topics of human trafficking and postpartum depression.

“We just really hope that the film will eventually be screened at film festivals and that it will also be given to therapists and support groups for free to be used for discussion,” Charles said.

The film is expected to be finished by the end of this month.

Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU grad's film UNDER tackles human trafficking, postpartum depression