The best film writers and directors draw on their life experiences and memories for stories. For director Aisha Ford, her childhood memories growing up served as an basis for all of her movies. In the short film Cherry Lemonade, the film draws her remembrance of the neighborhood she grew up in and the interactions with her sibilings.

Here’s the brief synopsis of Cherry Lemonade:

On a hot summer day in a lower-income neighborhood, a black girl learns to take the lead on her own terms.

The short film stars Eris Baker (NBC’s This Is Us) and Skylan Brooks (Netflix’s The Get Down, CBS’ Empire).

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LRM Online’s Gig Patta talked with director and writer Aisha Ford on her latest short film. We talked about formulating films based on her childhood, the neighborhood she grew up in, and the cast.

Aisha Ford’s short films have been broadcast on platforms such as the American Black Film Festival Independent TV series and screened at multiple film festivals. Recently, she earned the Spike Lee Film Production Grant and the prestigious NYU Wasserman Award for her short film Royal. Also, Ford received the British Academy of Film and Television Arts HBO Scholarship. She is a fourth year film graduate student at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

The film was created with a volunteer crew comprised of more than 90 percent women, women-identifying, and gender-nonconforming filmmakers. Additionally, more than 50 percent are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) filmmakers.

Cherry Lemonade makes its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival 2021 in the Juneteenth “Shining Stars” program. Also, the short film makes its run at the Roxbury International Film Festival from June 17-June 26 under its “This Is Who I Am” program.

Watch the exclusive interview with Aisha Ford below. Let us know what you think.

Source: LRM Online Exclusive