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Misguided Behavior

Misguided Behavior is the story of two fathers, the teens in their lives and a decade old lie that affects them all. As a cop Michael Miller (Khalil Kain) is earnest and sure as he rises through the ranks of the police department. But as a father, he is uncertain as he struggles with his wife about the best way to parent their teenage son (Elijah J) who is desperate to conceal some barely hidden abuse. The son’s secret we soon discover is the cruelty he frequently receives by a bully at school.

However, this bully (Malek Payne) is not without his own torments. His own home where he lives with his widowed father (Carl Payne) is a source of unrestrained guilt, abuse, and dark secrets. The tales of these teens, their fathers and the women who orbit their worlds leads to a shocking climax of ultimate decisions made by these young troubled men.

  • Carl Payne
    Director
    Martin
  • Avery O Williams
    Director
    Skinned
  • Victor Cobb
    Writer
  • Sharon Tomlinson
    Producer
    Skinned
  • Khalil Kain
    Key Cast
    Juice
  • Carl Payne
    Key Cast
    Martin
  • Elijah Johnson
    Key Cast
    Mindless Behavior
  • Doris Morgado
    Key Cast
    Logan
  • Princeton Perez
    Key Cast
    Mindless Behavior
  • Clifton Powell
    Key Cast
    Ray
  • Towanda Braxton
    Key Cast
    The Braxton's
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 25 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 1, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    200,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Red
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Carl Payne, Avery O Williams

AVERY O WILLIAMS is a writer, director and producer actively works in film, television and theater.

As a director, Avery recently co-directed the feature film Skinned with LisaRaye McCoy, which premiered nationally on TV One in 2016. For the State of Nevada, under the auspices of The White House initiative of My Brother’s Keeper, Avery wrote and directed the film shorts Two Roads and ReConnect which were produced by Studio 11 Films.

As a screenwriter, Avery co-wrote the feature Directing Eddie (Valerie Perrine, Jade Barrymore) voted Best Comedy, 2001 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival. He wrote and co-produced the film short The Willie Witch Projects (distr. by Trimark Pictures) in the compilation The Bogus Witch Project. Avery also wrote and co-produced the award-winning Notes In A Minor Key (Keith David, Harry Lennix) hailed by the New York Times as "...crisp, assured... tightly constructed and well-acted." He has penned screenplays for Damon Dash, Nia Long, Master P, Erika Alexander, T.I., Heavy D and more. In print, Avery's work is included in Monologues for Men By Men.

For the theater, Avery co-produced Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues directed by Penny Marshall (2005) and Penny Johnson Jerald (2006). He wrote the books for musicals TLC (A Tribute to Tracy Coley), The Chocolate Factory, Pino and Everything Changes, each directed by Denise Dowse and executive produced by Wendy Raquel Robinson. For the national stage, Avery wrote and produced A Mother's Prayer and What A Woman Will Do For Love starring Raven Symone, Cherrelle, Ann Nesby, Howard Hewett and Lashun Pace. Avery also produced Tom Coles' Medal of Honor Rag, starring Heavy D, directed by Delroy Lindo and executive produced by Will Smith. Recently, Avery wrote and executive produced with “Nephew” Tommy Miles (Steve Harvey Morning Show), a sketch-comedy pilot entitled Alley Cats.

Most recently Avery wrote and directed the film short Plenty starring Zuri Adele, Arnez J and Lamman Rucker which is currently seeking development as a one-hour drama. Avery graduated with a BA in English from Morehouse College and earned an MFA from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts. Along with his many working endeavors Avery is also a professor in the Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies program at Morehouse College in Atlanta GA.

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