How has racism changed in the modern age, and what steps can we take to examine our complicity in it? Filmmaker, actress and producer Aisha Evelyna dissects all of the above with her latest project Alex, a short film about a Black woman, Sydney (Evelyna), who is accused of shoplifting by a shopkeeper named Alex (Perrie Voss). The short also co-stars Carly MacIsaac as Sydney’s friend Madi. 

This thought-provoking, unflinching film illustrates the complexities of modern-day racism and the microaggressions Black people face daily. Sydney ignores the uneasy feeling she experiences around Alex until the latter hurls an unfounded accusation at her. The tension rises to a fever pitch, while the soft and bright color palette gives one the impression that an underlying threat exists — systemic racism, gnawing at the edges of our periphery. 

Alex screened at the Austin Film Festival and recently debuted at the 2022 Whistler Film Festival, which runs until January 2, 2023. 

Recently, I had the privilege of chatting with Aisha about what inspired her to create Alex, what audiences can expect, the impetus behind naming her film after the shopkeeper and more. 

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This interview is edited for length and clarity. 

Melody McCune: We at GGA love a good origin story. What’s your personal origin story? How did you get into this business?

Aisha Evelyna: I had done plays through high school, but I was going to be a doctor. Then, I got a scholarship to go to York University Theatre School. Their claim to fame is being the same theatre school that Rachel McAdams went to. I was like, “Sure, I’ll go there.” And I did. I got into the arts because my parents divorced, but had they had a more stable relationship; I’d probably be a neuroscientist. That’s my origin story.

Sydney, played by Aisha Evelyna, tries on a bra in a fitting room in the short film Alex.

Pictured: Aisha Evelyna as Sydney in ALEX. Photo credit: J Stevens.

MM: Let’s talk about Alex. Can you tell me what it’s about and the impetus for writing it?

AE: I wrote it in 2020. Shortly after the murder of George Floyd, I lived in Canada and had a hard time. We were all in our homes and experienced some of the longest lockdowns in the world. 

At the time, J [Stevens] had seen a short I made called ShoeGazer. They were like, “I want to work with you.” We were dreaming about what we wanted to make in response to this time. One of the things we landed on is racism, [which is] obviously really ugly and can be overt and aggressive, but it’s also taken on a new shape in 2022. It’s like, yeah, there are Klan members burning crosses but it’s also that woman in Central Park threatening to call the police on this Black man because he told her her dog should be on a leash. 

MM: That was awful. I remember that.

AE: It’s yucky, right? Collectively, we all felt powerless because this is a systemic issue that is, in many ways, bigger than all of us. We were like, “Okay, let’s make a short about what racism looks like now.” We live in a society that upholds white supremacy. Yes, that woman in the park with the man and the dog is a really bad thing. However, somewhere along the way, she internalized it. She learned that Black people are bad and that Black people are scared of the police. She learned that from somewhere, she wouldn’t have acted poorly in a vacuum. 

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So, what are these fear-based judgments that we’ve all been indoctrinated with, and how do they manage to impact the way in which we act? What is the cost? We hope to challenge people to consider where they, too, have a certain framework and lean into that framework of beliefs when in a jam or challenged. Asking ourselves how we push through and learn more and lean into where those come from so we can be better to the people we interact with every day regardless of age, race, orientation, creed, etc. That’s the vibe. 

MM: What can audiences expect from this short?

AE: I think audiences can expect a thought-provoking piece that makes them uncomfortable, but I think it’s through this discomfort we question what’s going on. That’s what they can expect: tension.

Alex stands in a clothing boutique while smiling in the short film Alex.

Pictured: Perrie Voss as Alex in ALEX. Photo credit: J Stevens.

MM: Describe Alex using three words.

AE: Realistic. Uncomfortable. But Alex is also light, like buoyant. The colors are very white, bright and airy. 

MM: There’s that sense of lightness, but you know something’s going to happen.

AE: That’s the thing — you can tell something’s working underneath. It’s systemic racism hanging out in the background. That’s what I was trying to allude to. 

MM: The film centers on the experience of a Black woman, Sydney, but it’s about Alex. Can you expand on that decision to make Alex the focus?

AE: Yes, it’s about Sydney’s experience, but this move is all about Alex. I used Sydney as a center to remind us of the emotional impact of what’s happening. Sydney’s emotional experience anchors us to the story and helps us understand why it’s important. It’s not an allegorical tale, but it’s about Alex and the fact that we are complicit within our structure. We may not realize our complicity. We need to work toward making lasting change, which is looking at how there’s a bit of Alex in all of us. The thing I was also going to note is The White Lotus. 

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J is a nonbinary white person. Around the time we were dreaming this up, we were thinking about The White Lotus. I read this article with the creator, Mike White. He said, “It’s very easy for us to put ourselves on the side of the good guys because we’re not running around on horseback burning churches down in Klan outfits.” He’s like, “It’s really easy for us to think we’re actually not a part of the problem because we’re not doing that — we have an antiquated idea of the impact of capitalism, racism, and sexism.” 

Alex, in the real world, is like, “I have to go out and protest with all these people because it’s f*cked up what’s going on.” Alex is progressive. However, deep within her, I would argue within all of us, is the antiquated ideals that are deep-seated within structures of power and equity. I titled it that because I wanted to allow the audience to see how Alex is damaging to society even though she’s not a bad person. We’re all a bit racist in the sense that we’re complicit.

Sydney, played by Aisha Evelyna, tries on a bra in a fitting room in the short film Alex.

Pictured: Aisha Evelyna as Sydney in ALEX. Photo credit: J Stevens.

My biggest hope is not to villainize any of these people onscreen. People assume Alex is yucky. As a writer, I love all my people. Even when I was talking to Perrie, the actress who plays Alex, I was like, “You can’t judge her. She’s just scared. When we’re scared, we fall back on the things we’ve been taught earliest.”

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MM: What was this creative process like for you since you were wearing all these hats as an actor, writer, producer and director?

AE: When it comes to the process, this is probably one of the safest places I feel I’ve created in a long time. We worked hard. But I think the idea of wanting to work on it came from a nice place. This film would not be a thing had J not messaged me. Process-wise, it was tough. From a technical standpoint, because I was performing and directing, we had to go into this space for a rehearsal. Basically, the rehearsal was not rehearsing the lines because I trusted my performers and I knew they were going to do what they needed to do, and I knew what I was doing.

I don’t say much in this film. We rehearsed the blocking, so I could know where the camera was going to live for certain scenes and shots from a technical standpoint, but really it was just trust.

I also had an assistant director who had a background in performing, which was immensely helpful because I told her these are the performance beats I need to hit in order to arc this character properly from a performance standpoint. Then, I was checking in with my AD, and she’d be like, “Maybe try this because that’s not reading.” The process was quite smooth because I had so many people that were supportive of the story and what we were trying to say.

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MM: What do you hope viewers take away from Alex? What was your objective in telling this story?

AE: My objective is to get people to question, “How can I alter myself and challenge certain things I’ve been taught about certain people? How can I challenge those beliefs so I can be empathetic toward others?” For example, if we’re looking at Elon Musk, hey, maybe there’s no such thing as being an ethical billionaire. A part of me feels like we know this. The world, I don’t know if it’s going to be a great place, but it might be a bit better. These are huge issues that not one person can tackle alone.

Carly stands outside while looking alarmed in the short film Alex.

Pictured: Carly MacIsaac as Madi in ALEX. Photo credit: J Stevens.

Yes, action and big changes, like legislative changes, are important. For example, you can make as many films about abortion in America as you want, but that’s not going to change anything unless legislation is in place for everybody to get an abortion if they want one.

However, me being a little indie filmmaker, what can I do to push the conversation forward? My hope is people ask themselves how they’re complicit in this system to change how they act on a micro level. 

MM: What else is on the horizon for you, career-wise?

AE: I just got a feature greenlit.

MM: Congratulations!

AE: Thank you! We worked hard. I already wrote the feature so I’m going to be directing and starring in it next summer. We’re in prep for that. It’s called Seahorse. Then, I have a limited series I’ve been working on. That is in development with The Canadian Academy. I wrote the pilot.

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The last thing is I have this series called The Drop. The Drop is about professional line waiters. That features a bunch of really cool people like Nicole Power from Kim’s Convenience. We also have a cameo by Jane Kaczmarek. Jane was Lois in Malcolm in the Middle. We’re hoping to premiere at some festivals in March 2023. I finished shooting a digital series. I don’t sleep much.

MM: With a schedule like that, I don’t know if I would sleep either. Have you watched anything interesting lately?

AE: Blown Away. I watched the entire season while I had COVID at my mom’s house. I feel like everybody was watching this, but I binge-watched House of the Dragon. 

Sydney, played by Aisha Evelyna, stands in a clothing boutique while looking focused at something off screen in the short film Alex.

Pictured: Aisha Evelyna as Sydney in ALEX. Photo credit: J Stevens.

MM: Name your five favorite films.

AE: Finding Nemo. Kids — it’s by this director named Larry Clark. It’s the movie that got Rosario Dawson her start, as well as Chloë Sevigny. It was made in 1995. We Need to Talk About Kevin with Tilda Swinton. Then, I got to go with Children of Men. Number five is Forrest Gump.

MM: Aisha, thank you so much for chatting with me! I loved Alex, and I look forward to seeing what you do next. 

AE: Thank you, Melody! 

Follow Aisha on Instagram (@aishaevelyna) and Twitter (@AishaEvelyna). Check out the trailer for Alex here, and stream it in its entirety here. 

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Melody McCune
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