At The Movie Buff, we recently had the chance to watch the film “Cherry Lemonade,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival by Writer/Director Aisha Ford. The short is a coming-of-age film taking place in Los Angeles, in which a young girl, Phoenix (Eris Baker, TV’s “This is Us“) sets her goals upon getting a cherry lemonade in the sweltering heat of the low-income neighborhood she lives in, but is warned about possible dangers by her older brother, Kurt (Skylan Brooks).
The film starts with Kurt trying to teach her how to fight, much to her chagrin. But throughout the film, Phoenix sees the necessity of protecting herself, and the challenges that come in the modern world. At the end of the day, kids just want to be kids; “Cherry Lemonade” offers food for thought on poverty, coming-of-age, and brother/sister love in the process.
We were grateful to have the opportunity to sit down and talk to Aisha Ford about her film. Below, Ford talks about getting the idea to make the film, having her first film accepted for screening at Tribeca, filmmaking on a budget, and more. We hope you enjoy the interview. Stay tuned at the end for social media links to follow the film.
You can read our capsule review of the film here.
Hi and thank you for this interview. Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Eris Baker and Skylan Brooks in “Cherry Lemonade.” Photo by Jessica Perez.
Hi! My name is Aisha Ford. I’m from Cincinnati, Ohio and I am a Writer/Director.
How have you been finding Tribeca so far? Is this your first film festival? If so, has it been harder to navigate during Covid?
Tribeca so far has been great! I love that the screenings are in different boroughs and I can just sit outside and enjoy films. This is not my first film festival but this is the first time that one of my films have been selected to screen here. Which is…insane to me! I still can’t believe it. I wouldn’t say it has been difficult to navigate but it’s a different experience with more COVID safety protocols that we have to follow at this time.
We watched your short film “Cherry Lemonade,” which we found great. Can you tell us a bit about the film? Where did you come up with the concept for it?
Absolutely! “Cherry Lemonade” was shot in LA with two full production days. Women in Media, a nonprofit whose mission is to promote gender balance in the film and entertainment industry, helped developed the film. The concept came from personal childhood experience: I was a young Black girl who grew up in a low-class neighborhood with a family of older brothers. I remembered the beauty and the fun of my old hometown, but I also remembered the possible dangers too. I had to learn early on how to hold my own.
Was it hard to film the short? Did you encounter any obstacles along the way?
Location, Location, Location. For me one of the biggest challenges was locking down locations. While I was writing “Cherry Lemonade,” I visualized locations based on my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio—a dense, lower-income housing neighborhood and I never actually thought I would have the opportunity to shoot this film in Los Angeles. So, when I arrived I told myself “okay, I hope I can find a neighborhood that reminds me of Ohio.”
I was dead wrong, time was not on my side and all I saw were palm trees. I remember scouting for hours with one of my producers, Nadine Naidoo, for a neighborhood that did not have palm trees and that could still embody my hometown. Eventually, I got the courage to send my script to Production Designer Hannah Beachler (“Black Panther,” “Creed”), and she loved it! She gave me some advice about production design specific to “Cherry Lemonade” and it moved me in the direction of setting the story in LA.
Hannah said I should stay true to my story, but also embrace LA and the aesthetics of its lower income neighborhoods. Ohio neighborhoods look different from LA, but it’s the small details in the design that bring nuance to the film. She added that the iconic palm trees in LA would add texture and contrast to one of our most iconic images in the film, where Phoenix and Kurt trail down the hot summer streets on a glossy red bike.
What I liked most about the movie is that Phoenix is confronted by all sorts of socioeconomic pressures, but really just wants to be a kid. What do you think is going through her head during this film? How about her brother’s?
Growning up as a kid in a low-income neighborhood has its challenges. Photo by Jessica Perez.
You hit the point of her just wanting to be a kid! To me, what I think is going through her head are just simple, clear kid goals. She just wants to have fun and laugh just like the cheerleaders, try to score a slushy on a hot day. She doesn’t want to worry about anything. For Kurt, he is focused on wanting to teach Phoenix the possible dangers of their reality. He reminds her that she can’t be a kid all her life, he’s here to protect and teach as her big brother.
Are you trying to say anything about Phoenix’ relationship with her brother here? Why is she reluctant to fight in the beginning when he wants to teach her, but more agreeable at the end? Is she finally trying to take the reins on her life?
For me, she’s reluctant to fight in the beginning because she feels that there is no point to. It’s not until her run-ins with Clifton and Kurt throughout the film that she has a change of heart. When she realizes that even Kurt can fail her, she is more agreeable to fight in the end because she understands that from this point on you have to be prepared for what dangers life may throw at you.
It was unbelievable working with the two [Eris Baker, Skylan Brooks]. The immediate chemistry they had together really made this film feel special.aisha ford
How did you connect up with Eris Baker and Skylan Brooks? How was it like working with them?
One of my producers contacted an amazing casting director and they recommended Eris Baker to play the role of Phoenix, so my film team reached out to her. Similar story with Skylan Brooks: another one of my producers worked with Skylan Brooks previously and we reached out to him for the role of Kurt. It was unbelievable working with the two. The immediate chemistry they had together really made this film feel special. They are both extremely talented and put in a lot of hard work into making their characters come to life.
What do you hope that people will take from your film? Do you think it will awaken conversations about growing up too fast or the sanctimony of childhood?
Cherry lemonade on the steps of inner-city LA. Photo by Jessica Perez.
My hope is that people will take away with the understanding that Phoenix is simply a kid just trying to be a kid. However, her circumstances play a factor in her having to grow up and learn how to protect herself from the possible dangers in the world. Even from the people that present themselves as her protectors.
What’s next for you? Do you have any other films or projects you are working on?
Yes! I am working on a short film titled “Brownies” and I’m also working on my first feature film based on my first short “Wren.”
Can you tell us where people can find more information about you or your film? Do you have any social media links to share?
Certainly!
Social Media Links:
Instagram – @cherrylemonadefilm
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/CherryLemonadeFilm
Website: https://www.cherrylemonadefilm.com
Personal Social Media:
Instagram: @esha_4rd
The Movie Buff would like to thank Aisha Ford for this interview. Best of luck to “Cherry Lemonade” and all the other film entries at the Tribeca Film Festival.
