In Trees of Peace, four women find themselves trapped together in a hidden food storage compartment beneath the kitchen floor during the Rwandan genocide. Locked in this space and isolated for unpredictable lengths of time, the women learn about each other and form a bond with each other. As they try to stay hopeful for the end of the danger that awaits them outside, they must lean on each other both physically and mentally to escape this horror alive.

In this interview, I’m excited to speak with director Alanna Brown about this feature length directorial debut of hers. Alanna is one of industry’s up and coming talents, being named on the Black List, the Hit List, and the Young & Hungry List with her second feature script currently titled The 29th Accident. In this conversation, we discuss the difficulties of making an independent film and how she found the talented actresses that would bring the film to life.

Trees of Peace debuted and won top jury prizes at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and continued to captivate audiences taking top prize at the Phoenix Film Festival in August. While a distribution deal has not been finalized the film will also play at the upcoming American Black Film Festival Nov. 3-14.