“I Choose You” Celebrates Love Beyond Barriers

In a heartwarming tale of love and acceptance, the film “I Choose You” explores the journey of Noah, a new university freshman, who discovers a profound connection with Sarah, a Deaf girl. As Noah embarks on a quest to learn American Sign Language to communicate with Sarah, their relationship blossoms into a testament of love that transcends societal expectations.

The film confronts the challenges faced by the Deaf community, tackling prejudices and stereotypes head-on. “I Choose You” aims to inspire empathy by showcasing that being Deaf is not a limitation but a beautiful aspect of human diversity.

The filmmaker behind “I Choose You” is director, writer, producer and actress Kaylah Pollock. Inspired by her father’s experience of losing hearing at 16, Pollock sought to challenge the stigma surrounding the Deaf community. She shares her passion for breaking stereotypes and raising awareness about the capabilities of Deaf individuals.

“As I grew up, I watched my dad never let any Deaf stigma limit what he would accomplish in life” said Pollock. “Despite that, I witnessed the hearing community say or do the same awful things that are shown in the film to him and to or about the Deaf community. I also had many people say those things to me when talking about my dad or explaining the reason I know American Sign Language. Many people would say to me “Oh, I’m so sorry” “How can he live without music?” “He doesn’t look Deaf” “How can he drive?” etc. It was very unfortunate to witness how so many people viewed Deaf people this way, saying these ignorant things when Deaf people are no different than hearing people. So when I sat down to write a screenplay, I knew this was something that I was passionate about. To ensure that the hearing community after watching my film, will have more awareness that being Deaf is not a limitation.”

During production, Pollock cherished the opportunity to collaborate with a talented cast and crew. Her favorite moments included envisioning the film’s scenes, anticipating actor reactions, and carefully planning every detail. Pollock emphasizes the importance of meeting like-minded individuals in the film industry and fostering a collaborative, passionate environment.

“Another favorite part of production is day dreaming how the film will go. How the set will look, where the actors will stand, how the actor might react to this line, what camera angle I want etc. I am extremely organized so I always show up on set prepared and have thought out literally everything. Which helps when an actor does something different than I imagined or the cinematographer mentions something that I didn’t think about so I will know exactly how this new change might affect the next scene and it is just an amazing collaboration I am able to have with these talented people.”

However, the filmmaking journey was not without its challenges. Creating the shot list proved to be the most demanding aspect for Pollock, who faced the task of ensuring sufficient time for each shot while adhering to a tight schedule. 

“ It was a lot harder than I expected. I did not want to be behind on schedule since we had other actors showing up at different times and different locations. Being behind on schedule not only stresses out the crew but it also stresses out the cast and I wanted to make sure the environment was fun, safe, and stress free.”

When asked about lessons learned, Pollock expressed a desire to split the shot days into multiple sessions, acknowledging the difficulty of managing a packed shooting schedule. 

“I have only done one other short film that was 5 minutes long with 2 actors which only took a couple hours. So this was my first time directing something like this. I tried to cram about 13 scenes, 73 shots, and 4 company moves in 12 hours. Emphasis on the “tried.” We were behind on schedule so we decided to shoot 2 of the scenes another day and I was able to cut a lot of the shots while we were shooting. I had a lot of help from my script and shot list supervisor, Michael Helm.”

For aspiring filmmakers, Pollock advocates for gaining hands-on experience. She emphasizes that one doesn’t necessarily need a formal education in directing, producing, or acting. Instead, joining film communities, participating in casting calls, and immersing oneself in the production space provide invaluable learning opportunities.

“I believe education is very important but experience will help advance you in your career faster than a degree. I would join facebook groups, backstage etc. to find casting calls for crew and/or cast and get yourself on set.”

The talented cast of “I Choose You” includes Tanner McNatt, Kaylah Pollock, Lori Hansen, Nathaniel Mills, Skylar Boyd, Jeff Pollock, Suzette Anderson, Emi Bennett, Elle Williams, Bruce Brockett, Moses Butterfield, and Jeffrey Pollock Jr.

The equally talented crew includes Kaylah Pollock, Moses Butterfield, Michael Bihovsky, Dax Ware, Marcos Bernal, Kait Kowac, Zach Kowach, Michael Helm, Jeff Pollock and Kade Pigg.

“I Choose You” has been selected as an official selection for the Utah International Film Festival, taking place from February 12-17. The film will be showcased at Maven Cinemas in American Fork, UT. For updates on Kaylah Pollock’s future projects, audiences can follow her on Instagram (kaylah_rene) or Facebook (Kaylah Pollock).