Finish Your Screenplay: Director Kevin D. Sepe On Writing ‘Elijah Peel’

Now playing in theaters, Elijah Peel is a resonate rock n’ roll tale about a music star (Robert Malcolm Cumming) whose turbulent life takes a profound turn thanks to a newfound friendship with a young girl (Evelyn Grace Kite). First time filmmaker Kevin D. Sepe talked to Deepest Dream about the big challenge of writing the screenplay through the objective lens of being both a director and producer. Did wearing several hats alter Sepe’s approach to his storytelling? Check out our full interview below!

‘Elijah Peel’ Screenplay Process  

“To wear (several) hats is really hard because I’m in a position of being the producer, writer, and also being the director,” said Sepe, who co-directed Elijah Peel with Nathan Ross Murphy. “Those are three completely different hats, and that was the most challenging part of this because as the producer your job is to get it all to happen. You look at the screenplay and go, “This is gonna be tough.” Within the parameters of time elements or money elements or whatever that is, you have to be able to assess that as a producer objectively saying: ‘I can’t do this. This can’t be done. This is gonna cause a problem. This is gonna take too long. Let’s condense it. Let’s do that.'”

“So I’m telling my other part of my brain to do this, it’s not like I can go to a department,” said Sepe. “And go, ‘Hey, bring this back with this.’ I then convert that to (the script). It’s a very interesting place to be where you have to actually do it.”

Analyzing his story from an objective vantage point ultimately was an advantage for the filmmaker. “When you write it, you’re writing,” said Sepe, who also produced the movie’s original soundtrack. “I just let it flow. It’s not an easy thing to do – to remove very personal things for the betterment of the film and to make it flow quicker. And to make it get to a place where you think it will be received properly and in its most powerful condition.”

Catch ‘Elijah Peel’ In Theaters

The movie, executive produced by Willie Robertson and Korie Robertson, co-stars Kevin Sorbo’s as Elijah’s manager. Shot on location in and around Memphis, Tennessee, Elijah Peele is now playing in theaters.

***Check out my review of Elijah Peel on CinemAddicts:

Will you be watching Elijah Peel this weekend? Share your thoughts on the movie in the comments!