Revels Debuts New Short Film Focused on Mental Health at UA Little Rock
As assistant director for student leadership and development director at UA Little Rock, Corrigan Revels is making a difference by mentoring hundreds of UA Little Rock students every year participating in the Chancellor’s Leadership Corps, a leadership development program that is focused on academic success and service learning.
He brings that same passion to his after-hours pursuits. Revels, an alumnus of the School of Mass Communication, is continuing to make strides in his filmmaking career.
This summer Revels debuted his most recent project, “Freedom’s House,” at UA Little Rock. The short film tells the story of Amari, a middle-aged Black man who seems like he’s living the American Dream with a great career and family, but Amari’s life is not as perfect as it seems.
“As the film progresses, Amari’s battling some internal conflicts,” Revels said. “Overall, the film balances themes of mental health, being aware of your triggers, and how to carry out your emotions when it comes to sharing how you truly feel. It reminds people to make sure that those in your inner circle are those who truly support you. I tell my students that all the time.”
The 11-minute film was filmed on location in Little Rock and features a cast and crew of local Arkansas talent. Dylan Pojar-Weatherly served as the director of photography, and Essence Simone’, another UA Little Rock alum, served as the production assistant.
“When it comes to filmmaking, what really helped was having a great team of actors and crew to help pull it all together,” Revels said.
About 50 people watched the short film’s premiere at UA Little Rock, and Revels said that the crowd “really enjoyed it.”
Revels wrote the script back in 2020, and it made him a finalist for the Indie Memphis Black Filmmaker Fellowship in Screenwriting.
“That gave me a boost at a time when I was questioning what was my next step in my film career,” Revels said. “I wanted to take time to do the story justice, and I’m blessed to work with a talented team to bring it all together. I believe this is my best work yet.”
For the next few months, “Freedom’s House” will be making its rounds during the film festival season, but Revels plans to release the film on YouTube close to the end of the year.
In addition to “Freedom’s House,” Revels is working on pre-production for his first web series that is set to launch in the fall.
“It will be called ‘Black Eyed Peas,’ and it celebrates and brings awareness to the Black experience in America,” Revels said. “It’s an anthology series and will be on the lighter side. A lot of the cast and crew from ‘Freedom’s House’ will be in this web series.”
