Writer/Director/Producer Lauren Melinda is the founder of Simbelle Productions, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering women through film.
“BEFORE YOU is a narrative short film based on true events …” – What are the true events? Is there something in your personal life connected to the “true events?”
Director Lauren Melinda
BEFORE YOU is based on my own experience with a medically necessary abortion. It was one of the most emotional and disorienting moments of my life, and I didn’t see my story reflected anywhere, especially in the media where abortion is often portrayed with shame, trauma, or political undertones. I wanted to make something more emotionally truthful — something that acknowledged the love, loss, and complexity that can exist in a moment like that.
“Lauren Melinda’s Cleveland selected deeply personal short film …” – “Cleveland selected” – What does this mean? What makes BEFORE YOU so deeply personal?
Director Lauren Melinda
Having the film screen at Cleveland International Film Festival and at festivals like St. Louis and FilmFort, has been incredibly validating. These are spaces that champion stories with emotional and social resonance. The film is deeply personal because it came directly from my lived experience. Every frame reflects a piece of the emotional terrain I walked through—from grief to love to everything in between. It’s about a kind of loss that often exists in silence.
It packs quite the visceral wallop but at the same time it seemed so elliptical {to this reviewer} that I believe audiences will need to see it more than once to make sense of what they saw. Any comment here?
Director Lauren Melinda
While I haven’t heard that reaction from many viewers, I think it’s an insightful observation. I rely heavily on the visual language of film rather than dialogue, and I’m more interested in evoking feelings than providing clear-cut explanations. Before You is structured like memory — fragmented, nonlinear, emotionally charged — because that’s how I experienced the moment it’s based on.
Grief and trauma don’t unfold in neat story beats; they surface in waves, in silence, and in flashes. I didn’t want to recreate a timeline — I wanted to hold a feeling. If the film leaves something behind that lingers or invites someone to revisit it, then I believe it’s doing what it was meant to do.
{Editor’s Note: What a dumb comment and question by this reviewer. Not a fair question to the filmmaker. This is one of those films, though this one is a film short and not feature length, that packs a sustained visceral impact that can make many audience members want to see it again and again – as this reviewer has – because of its bravura cinematic qualities and not because audience members didn’t understand it.}
What inspired you to become a filmmaker? What were you biggest challenges? What are the biggest challenges you are anticipating?
Director Lauren Melinda
My path to filmmaking began with photography. As a child, I discovered my mother’s old Minolta camera and quickly realized that invisibility could be a strength —?I could observe, frame, and capture truth without interruption. For over a decade, photography was my way of making sense of the world; it helped me find my voice as an artist and allowed others to see through my perspective.
But eventually, still images felt limiting. I wanted to explore time, sound, movement, and narrative – I wanted to move people in more immersive ways. That pull led me to filmmaking. I’ve always been drawn to visual storytelling that lives in subtext—in gestures, silences, atmosphere. Films by Lynne Ramsay and Charlie Kaufman, for instance, affirmed to me that emotional truth doesn’t need to be explained to be felt.
One of my biggest challenges has been working outside of traditional systems of power. As a woman and a mother, I’ve had to carve out space for the kinds of stories I want to tell. Looking ahead, I know the leap into larger-scale filmmaking will come with new pressures — but I’m committed to holding on to emotional honesty while growing in scope and ambition.
According to the background material sent this reviewer, you are working on your first narrative film and a TV series. Are you considering developing BEFORE YOU into a feature narrative or a Netflix special? Are you considering making documentary films? If yes, can you provide some details. What else is in your filmmaking repertoire?
Director Lauren Melinda
BEFORE YOU was always intended to be a short film. For me, its strength lies in its intimacy and emotional focus, and I want it to stay in that form.
My passion lies in narrative filmmaking and the ability of story to shape cultural understanding and social consciousness. While I respect documentary filmmaking, it’s not where my creative interest currently lies. I’m interested in exploring fiction that reveals deep emotional truths and provokes real dialogue.
I’m currently in development on my first narrative feature film, a psychological drama about a woman who’s molded by the Berlin art world into a marketable version of herself —and the emotional unraveling that follows. It explores themes of identity, dissociation, and the haunting residue of trauma, all through a distinctly feminine lens.
I’m also developing a television series based on the true story of my great-grandmother, who was born in Kyiv and later became the midwife to the Shah of Iran. The series explores legacy, migration, and feminine resilience across generations, and reflects my deep interest in stories that intertwine the personal with the historical.
In a way, both projects continue what BEFORE YOU began: Telling stories that live in the grey areas — between memory and reality, silence and truth.
In addition, my nonprofit production company, Simbelle Productions, recently celebrated the world premiere of our first narrative feature SATISFACTION (starring Emma Laird) at SXSW. It was a major milestone and marks the beginning of our next chapter — one rooted in championing bold, female-led work across all formats.
What’s next for BEFORE YOU in terms of openings and any other plans on the horizon.
Director Lauren Melinda
We’re continuing the festival circuit with Cascadia International Women’s Film Festival coming up at the end of this month. But beyond the festivals, we’re launching a social impact campaign in partnership with Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. to bring the film into classrooms, clinics, and community spaces.
The goal is to move beyond just screening the film — we want to use it as a tool for conversation. Through guided discussions, educational materials, and community events, we’re inviting people to engage with abortion and reproductive healthcare not only as political issues, but also as personal, human experiences.
Click Here for Part 1
the WORD Editor, Reviewer, Gregg W. Morris