The Butler's Home: A Glimpse into Eugene Allen's Life

Originally from Mexico City, award-winning producer/director/writer Melissa Sue Lopez has been in the American film industry for 19 years. She has worked on several independent films from different companies, including ABC Film & Video and MoonSue Productions. Her introduction to film was at Oklahoma City Community College, where she produced her first short film "Shoot Happens" and "Masquerade." At the age of twenty-five Melissa Sue met scholar/author Clenora Hudson Weems, who introduced her to Barry Morrow, the Oscar award-winning co-writer of "rain Man," while they worked together on a screenplay about Emmett Till, the "true catalyst of the modern Civil Rights Movement." During this period she moved to New York City to follow her dreams. There she worked in theater, music, and filmmaking, completing her first major short film, "Emociones." She also had the pleasure of working on two award-winning off-Broadway plays: As stage manager in the off-Broadway "Historia Bien Conocida" and as assistant director for "La Bella y la Muy Bestia," with acclaimed Mexican actor and director Eugenio Derbez. She returned to Oklahoma City, her adopted hometown, to produce, direct, and write for MoonSue Productions. It was here that she co-wrote, directed, filmed, edited and produce her first feature length film "Shutter Mind." Shutter Mind won two awards at the IN-Color Film Festival in Oklahoma City: The People's Choice Award, and the prestigious Jury Award. Melissa Sue is passionate about everything she does, from her career to her music. She is a singer/songwriter and has directed music videos and commercials in addition to her films. She focuses on documentary-styles dramatic films, but she has also made films of other genres as well. She was in the top five finalist in the Colchester Film festival 48-hour Film Challenge with her short film "The Limit." Her most recent accolade was winning the Best Oklahoma Short Film Festival at the Cine Latino Film Festival in Oklahoma City and Best Romance-Comedy at Bare Bones Film Festival for her film "Deviants." Deviants is a character-driven dark comedy about swinger culture thriving underneath the buckle of the American Bible Belt.