Don’t wait for permission
Born and raised in Minneapolis, filmmaker Jo Rochelle originally desired to be an actress but modified her mind in college. “I had gotten to my senior 12 months within the drama program, and I noticed that I wanted to start out writing and directing.”
She began co-writing and directing the online series “Dorm Therapy” while a student at Recent York University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in drama/theater. “It was like a mockumentary—like “The Office,” but about an RA and her residents in a dorm.”
After moving to Los Angeles, where she’s now based, Rochelle created the online series “Black Student Union” for Issa Rae’s HOORAE Media and is a author for the Freeform series “Good Trouble.”
In regards to the famous city she now calls home, Rochelle stated, “I even have to say the thing I like probably the most is you possibly can typically depend on the weather being good. The hardest part about it could be sometimes you get just caught up within the hustle, just living in a giant city and everybody has big dreams and massive goals and you have got to recollect to take time for self-care.”
More recently, Rochelle wrote and directed her first feature film, “Jasmine Is A Star,” which is currently still on the film festival circuit.
Produced by E.G. Bailey and Sha Cage and set in Minneapolis, Rochelle describes it as “a couple of 16-year-old girl who has albinism, which is a scarcity of pigment within the hair, skin and eyes. And he or she is set to change into an expert model someday. And he or she’s starting now.”
Rochelle’s own childhood love of modeling, pageants, and the fact competition series “America’s Next Top Model” inspired the film. The major character’s albinism became a part of the story after she discovered young YouTuber Iyana Leshae.
“She does hair tutorials and she or he talks about pursuing her profession as a model. She was so very similar to this major character, and Iyana has albinism, in order that began to change into an element of the story.” Rochelle contacted Leshae and asked if she desired to be a part of the film, and the remaining, as they are saying, is history.
A graduate of the distinguished Blake School, Rochelle is a baby of Jamaican immigrants and credits them for much of her success. She explained, “From a young age, I appreciated and understood the sacrifices my parents made for me to be born in America and have more opportunities. It’s all the time been a drive of mine to maintain working hard because I appreciate what they’ve done for me.”
Rochelle describes the major character as “a young, ambitious girl. She’s generally pretty optimistic and she or he cares rather a lot about her artistic profession.” One other similarity is Jasmine is a self-starter.
“She takes things into her own hands whether or not another person is giving her permission. That’s how I’m as a filmmaker. I’ll discover a way regardless that it seems inconceivable at the beginning.”
Visually sublime with a robust sense of place, “Jasmine Is A Star” was almost completely filmed on location. It includes scenes on the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and references to Macalester College. “I desired to make a story in Minnesota because that was my hometown. And that is a couple of young girl in her hometown, which isn’t necessarily a spot where models all the time come from.
“It was very intentional and rooted in my experiences. I remember doing a tour at Macalester College, after I was trying to choose on which college to go to, and I remember having a lot fun and making friends there. This was a love letter to Minneapolis.”
The film can be a lesson find community, something that may be difficult for a young girl with albinism.
Rochelle points to the Sculpture Garden scenes as probably the most difficult aspect of making the movie. “It was freezing. It was like perhaps 20 degrees that day. And we’re similar to, all very cold. We needed to get…these little heat packets that you simply hold in your hand.”
On the whole, she finds financing movies to be probably the most difficult thing about being within the industry. “It is amazingly expensive. It’s just very expensive to rent camera equipment, to rent and pay crew.”
As for what she’d just like the viewer to remove from the film, Rochelle stated, “Never quit in your dream. And sometimes it’s okay to take it into your individual hands and never wait for permission. You simply must do it yourself sometimes. Keep persevering. Keep running your individual race.”
“Jasmine Is A Star” is currently on the film festival circuit. For more information, visit www.jasminestarmovie.com.