St. Pete is celebrated for its fabulous weather, beautiful vistas, world-class food scene, and thriving cultural atmosphere but the people of St. Pete truly make this city something special. In appreciation, each month Green Bench shines a light on one of the many people who make St. Pete unique.
This month we’re placing the spotlight on local filmmaker Mace Walker. Only 20 years old, Walker firmly roots her vision for the future in her present-day accomplishments. The historic Tampa Theatre recently held a private screening of her feature-length film, Triggered. She hopes the movie will earn a spot at one of the more prestigious independent film festivals, but she’s also hard at work on pre-production for her next project. She has been imagining worlds since she was a child.
Backstories
At age 4, Walker was already producing stories by drawing illustrations for the tales she would dictate to her grandmother to write. All her stuffed animals and toys had elaborate backstories, including her favorite misunderstood rubber vampire, Ka Kayla, who was simply looking for love. Influenced by Tim Burton and Disney’s Pixar films, Walker originally thought she might turn her artistic talent to animation. Ultimately, she didn’t like the limitations of that kind of storytelling. Always drawn to the darker side of characters and their motivations, she understood not all story arcs have happy endings. And she wanted to be in control of her own creative vision.
Sunscreen Film Camp
As an anxious, self-isolating teenager with a head full of stories, Walker struggled to find her place. She knew she wanted to make movies but wasn’t sure how. She applied for and received a full scholarship to the Studio@620’s Sunscreen Film Camp. The three-week, immersive film-making experience, which she describes as the “best thing that ever happened” to her, introduced her to film-making basics and to the local film-making community. By the conclusion of camp, she had found her place and made her first short film, inspired by the challenges faced by her autistic sister. Reflecting on the shortcomings of the five-minute piece, she cringes a bit now, but she also understands that learning and growing are essential to life and art. Sunscreen Film Camp taught her how to make films, and she credits her sister with inspiring her to open up to life’s possibilities.
Triggered
One of those opportunities was the idea that she could make a full-length film. Influenced by the struggle of navigating high school under the constant critical eyes of peers, one’s inner voice, and seemingly oblivious authority figures, Walker sought to depict the complicated “true” story behind a fictional school shooting. She started the project when she was 17, writing, producing, editing and directing the picture. Shot mostly in guerrilla-style, Triggered is a “controversial experimental drama,” Walker says, that is meant to “evoke emotions and trigger a response.”
Having sent the film for festival consideration, Walker and her crew will spend September shooting a not-yet-titled thriller at a North Carolina dairy farm. For updates about Triggered and Walker’s upcoming projects, visit www.maceditseverything.com.
