cinematic adoration: Crossroad

There are some things in life that you don't forget. I will never forget my first hands-on production experience.

I was on my way to Shervin Youssefian's house at 8:30am on a Sunday to work on a music video. I walked into his house and was greeted by his mother. I sat and waited in the kitchen with her as Shervin prepared his things.

I remember watching Shervin work during the production of the music video and thinking how easy he made everything look. Shervin handled the music video and a team of a dozen or so crew members with ease. The camera in his hands was smooth, every move calculated, and I remember feeling like I was where I belonged.

I knew Shervin through his short film, Color Blind (2002), which he had produced with his partner, Danny Simonzad. Color Blind is a film that made me realize the full potential of poetic cinema, and I was intimated to meet the masterminds behind the work. I told Shervin how eager I was to apply to film school, and he encouraged me to keep my passion for film alive, and offered me a position on his future projects and commercials.

I was working on applications for school and was extremely nervous. Shervin couldn't be bothered less, and when I finally asked him why he was so confident that I had nothing to worry about, he smiled and said, "You're exactly what the school is looking for."

I was accepted into the USC School of Cinematic Arts soon thereafter. I wasn’t able to work on a handful of projects Shervin needed me for because I was now busy with my own work. Shervin understood and supported me along my own journey when I produced my own short film, Amorosa (2010).

Shervin Youssefian has recently finished production of his first feature-length film, Crossroad (2012). The film centers on twelve strangers in a diner, who all come to realize that God plays a significant role in each of their lives. The film focuses on Michael, who sets up a meeting with the man responsible for murdering his wife and child. Michael’s plans are disrupted when the diner is robbed. The film explores the importance of faith, grace, and the role of God in our lives.

If nothing else, Shervin provides us all with hope. I’m sure he started this film with nothing more than a vision, and it's that vision of his that pushed the project into completion regardless of all the obstacles along his path.

I wanted nothing more than to work on this film. I know that one day, our paths will cross again. Crossroad is a film about fates colliding, bringing people together and uniting them for a greater good. In a sense, it’s a perfect metaphor for my own relationship with Shervin.

Shervin knows people, he understands our emotions, and he has a powerful way of exploring them. Color Blind proved that he could move an audience in extraordinary ways in a matter of minutes. Now, and with Crossroad, he has more than an hour to touch our hearts, enlighten us, and help us learn something along the way.