Diane Robinson’s “The Young Vote” is a triumph of Independent Cinema and The Human Spirit

THE YOUNG VOTE was written, directed, and produced by Diane Robinson. Award-winning television personality and worldwide animal advocate Marco Antonio Regil also served as a producer along with Award-winning producer Mark Gordon and producers Lu-Shawn M. Thompson and Patricia Howell.

indieactivity: How did you get into directing? How would you describe your style?
Diane Robinson (DR): I made a career change from education to filmmaking because I really believe in the power of great storytelling in touching peoples’ hearts and minds. Filmmaking is a way to make social change and I admire great filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Ava DuVernay, and Darren Aronofsky. They have all made films that impacted our culture in a positive and inspiring way. I think my style is very much emerging as a filmmaker since The Young Vote is my first film but I really believe in the power of great characters and a great story. I also think the music in a film is like another great character.

What went into the casting process for The Young Vote?
Diane Robinson (DR): It was a long process but one that was familiar for me as I had helped to find some of the teachers in Davis Guggenheim’s education documentary, The First Year when I was working with Teach For America in Los Angeles. I’ve also spent decades finding talent in education so had some experience in knowing what it takes to inspire others and had an extensive network nationally that I could tap into to find our young people. Plus the five young people we ended up following in the film are fantastic—they are passionate, diverse, much more knowledgeable about our political system than I was at their age, and truly inspiring.

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Who is The Young Vote For? Who do you think would enjoy it the most?
Diane Robinson (DR): I made The Young Vote mainly for young people who are just starting to think about voting for the first time and/or who want to take action in our society beyond voting to help protect our democracy. I think young people will get the most out of the film. Equally, it is meant to start an inter-generational dialogue about our current political system and whether it truly embraces all our voters.

How long did it take to shoot the entire film?
Diane Robinson (DR): We started shooting in early 2020 and the pandemic happened. Plus, I was fundraising while making the film so we had some stops and starts. We filmed through the 2020 election season and actually kept filming through the Georgia Senate races in early 2021. We then did some re-shoots in spring of 2021 once we started editing.

How long was the post-production process?
Diane Robinson (DR): We started the post-production process in the summer of 2021. Then, I got COVID pretty badly at the end of the year, so that slowed me down. We officially delivered the film to the American Black Film Festival in early May this 2022. So, I honestly think it took us almost a year to complete post-production.

The film had a lot of talent working behind the scenes as DP’s, sound designers, composers, etc.  Why is diversity important in front and behind the camera?
Diane Robinson (DR): Diversity has always been a part of who I am. Given where I am from and the world I’ve had to navigate since I was a child. I also deeply believe that having a diverse team around you makes anything you do better. I wanted this film to reach a broad community. So the talent working behind the scenes, our supporters and the young people in the film are a diverse group. Our country is diverse so I wanted to make a film that spoke to that reality.

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What are your goals with The Young Vote?
DR: I made The Young Vote because I didn’t buy the narrative that was going around after the 2016 election. That narrative about young people didn’t care and that’s why they didn’t turn out to vote in larger numbers. I had spent decades working with young people in education. I had recruitied many of them to do some of the hardest jobs in the world. So, I knew there was another story to tell. I think our political system, right now, isn’t designed to embrace voices of all people, especially our young people. So, I wanted to make a film that exposed that reality and that proposes some solutions. My biggest goal is for “The Young Vote” to inspire young people to vote. And to also get involved civically in our democracy in millions.

What’s next for you? What are you working on right now?
DR: Right now, I’m very focused on getting The Young Vote to be released ideally before the Midterms this fall. Because I think it can make a huge difference with the young vote turnout. I’ve also started to work on the treatments for my next two films.

What would you recommend to a new director at the beginning of his/her journey? Any special courses, workshops, helpful books they can read?
DR: I honestly consider myself a new director. So, I’m not sure I’m in a position to give anyone advice at this point. Given that, I’d start with finding some great mentors. They will guide you through the process of making your first film. I’m very grateful that I had two very successful Executive Producers. They have provided me with great advice and also had some Director friends in my kitchen cabinet. I still made mistakes and because of that, I definitely know what I’ll do differently the next time around. I’m a big believer though that learning while doing is the best way to do anything. I’m an educator at heart!

What advice would you give directors around the world?
DR: I have two pieces of advice for directors. First, start making your film and don’t give up. The process of making a film is just so hard. But take one step at a time and stick with it. Second, get rid of the naysayers and haters. Surround yourself with believers in you and your vision for the film.

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