Private Project

White Flight

After a wealthy young professional, Ben, is brutally mugged outside his house, growing paranoia and unchecked prejudice set a dangerous precedent for him and others.

  • Jay Curtis Miller
    Director
  • Jay Curtis Miller
    Writer
  • Jay Curtis Miller
    Producer
  • Seth Dunlap
    Key Cast
    "Ben"
  • Lindsey Akers
    Key Cast
    "Whitney"
  • Cris Ruiz
    Key Cast
    "Jake"
  • Moiba Mustapha
    Key Cast
    "Darius"
  • Percy Bell
    Key Cast
    "Percy"
  • Elisabeth Donaldson
    Key Cast
    "Mother"
  • Sam Brooks
    Key Cast
    "Kevin"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Thriller, Drama
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 42 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 30, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 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 - Jay Curtis Miller

Jay Curtis Miller is a Nashville based film-maker, from Cincinnati Ohio.

After receiving a Media Communications degree from Taylor University, a small liberal arts college in Indiana, he moved to Nashville to further pursue film-making, directing eclectic, diverse music videos and worked on three independent narrative features as a cinematographer.

His work has been featured on Billboard, Vevo, Paste Magazine, and justjared.

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Director Statement

"White Flight" is a result of my time living in the gentrified neighborhood of East Nashville, which increased in criminal activity the summer following the COVID lockdowns. Several scenes depicted in the movie were based on my personal experience, those of my friends, and various reports from neighbors in the community. Living alone, I felt a sense of growing tension and paranoia in the air, and that level of anxiety can lead to dangerous consequences if left unchecked.

I wrote this film during August 2020, after the height of the civil unrest from the murder of George Floyd, and taking in reactions' to it, specifically those of white liberals on social media platforms. I wanted to take a Paul Schrader approach to this issue, by taking a white progressive (or at least, someone who thinks he is an ally) who grows a dangerous level of paranoia after being mugged outside his home and then setting up a door cam to spy on his new neighbor, introducing a new level of social media manipulation with apps like Ring.

Normally, I wouldn't bother touching on topics such as racial division, as I feel my experience doesn't equate to the amounts of oppression to those who suffer from racial injustice. However, this project forced me out of my comfort zone and have those difficult conversations on race and injustice, with a lot of those conversations taking place in rehearsal and onset. Those conversations were messy, tough, but ultimately, enlightening, bringing newfound empathy to those who live in a different skin.

And I want this film to do the same with its audience.