Luke and Emma and a Gas Station on Franklin Avenue
A coming-of-age story set in 1980's rural America where a mixed Asian boy navigates his way through love in a white world. This story focuses on 11-year-old Luke, who has a crush on his classmate Emma. They innocently talk and flirt outside while stopped at a gas station on a summer day. While they talk outside, Luke's mother shops (and gets hit on by Emma's father) inside the gas station's mini-mart.
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Levi WilsonDirectorMaybe Sunshine
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Levi WilsonWriterMaybe Sunshine, Something About Penguins
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Lisa HammerProducerPox, Maybe Sunshine, The Sisters Plotz
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William BisgroveProducer
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Stacie Jones GentzlerProducer
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Coulter IbanezKey Cast"Luke"
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Christina GobesKey Cast"Emma"
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Jazz SunpanichKey Cast"Noi"
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Michael GieseKey Cast"David"
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Connie HuangDirector of Photography
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Jen Emma HertelLine Producer
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Drama, Romance, Coming of Age, Comedy
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Runtime:12 minutes 56 seconds
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Completion Date:January 24, 2023
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Production Budget:20,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English, Thai
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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New Faces New VoicesNew York, NY
United States
September 12, 2023
WINNER: BEST SHORT FILM -
Dubai FestivalDubai
United Arab Emirates
May 26, 2023
WINNER: Honorable Mention -
Bridge of PeaceParis
France
April 14, 2023
France
WINNER: Honorable Mention -
Cannes Continental Film FestivalCannes
France
September 29, 2023
FINALIST -
Winter Leopard International Film Festival Winter Leopard International Film FestivalStockholm
Sweden
May 13, 2024
Sweden
Quarter-Finalist -
Big Apple Film FestivalNew York, NY
United States
May 20, 2023
North American Premiere
Official Selection -
DC Asian Pacific American Film FestivalWashington DC
United States
July 13, 2023
DC Premiere
Official Selection -
Asian American International Film FestivalNew York, NY
United States
July 26, 2023
Official Selection -
Boston International Kids Film FestivalBoston, MA
United States
November 10, 2023
New England
Official Selection -
Lake County Film FestivalGrayslake, IL
United States
November 2, 2023
Official Selection
Levi Wilson is a producer, award-winning writer, director and actor. He has created and produced comedy shorts, commercials, stageplays and contributed to features such as Punk’s Dead: “SLC Punk! 2” where he worked with director James Merendino, Devon Sawa (“Final Destination,” “Chucky”), Ben Schnetzer (“The Book Thief,” “Y: The Last Man”), and Sarah Clarke (“Twilight”). He has worked with Ben Edlund (“The Tick,” “Supernatural”), and “The Pox Show” with Doc Hammer and Lisa Hammer (“The Venture Bros.”), Jonathan Katz (“Dr. Katz”), H. Jon Benjamin (“Archer,” “Master of None”), Clayne Crawford (“Lethal Weapon”) and Arden Myrin (“Inside Amy Schumer”).
He has published short plays including a Strawberry One-Act Festival Best Play winner in which he was also nominated Best Actor. His award-winning original series, “Maybe Sunshine,” is available on the Roku Channel/SeekaTV. He is developing an original series AND a feature film based on his short film "Luke and Emma and a Gas Station on Franklin Avenue '', as well as a collection of short films and a full slate of screenplays. The CMJ Film Festival Winner, “The Invisible Life of Thomas Lynch,” is currently being rebooted as a hit streaming series “Great Kills” for Tubi TV, on which Levi reprises his original role and also shoots the series as the DP. He is an executive producer on the feature film, “Montauk” starring Molly Ringwald and Charlie Tahan which will be released in 2024. "Luke and Emma" is his first foray into directing for film, as this short screenplay was filmed as a proof of concept for his first feature film and TV series.
This short film explores issues of racism and sexism in 1986 rural America. The story is told through the experience of adolescents who are exploring their feelings for each other as they push the boundaries established by their parents’ and their community.
This is a story about a biracial Asian American boy and a white girl growing up in a small Midwest town in 1986. They like each other. But they kind of know that they aren’t supposed to.
This is a story about an immigrant mother from Thailand who has settled in the Midwest to raise a child who is growing up American. She wants what’s best for him but also worries about him embracing a culture that doesn’t accept them.
This is a story about a white man who has status and resources. But he’s still a product of a world built around him which means he’s as much a victim of this world even as he benefits from it.
This is a story about growing up biracial in a world where attitudes about race mixing had scarcely changed. It’s about how someone finds belonging when they belong to more than one culture and, sometimes, it seems, none at all.
It’s about how the community you grow up in shapes who you are and how you perceive yourself.
My mother was an immigrant from Thailand. I grew up with the food and the language and elements of the culture. The one thing I remember most about being Thai is that no one knew anything about Thailand. Most people asked us if we were from China or Japan. Not much has changed aside from people are more familiar with the cuisine. Sort of.
One of the themes I want to focus on is that Asian Americans come from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds and we are unified through our experience as immigrants in America.