Director, writer, and actor Mac Escalante held a screening for his first student film \u201cAubrey\u2019s Understandings\u201d on October 19, 2024, at the Georgia Museum of Art.<\/p>\n
Escalante is a University of Georgia alumnus who was a film studies major and is currently a student at the Georgia Film Academy.<\/p>\n
Escalante\u2019s film revolves around the developing relationship between Aubrey, played by Megan Govedich, who is a counselor specializing in sexual health and relationships, and Timothy, played by Escalante himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cAubrey and Timothy have a very professional relationship. It’s where Timothy learned so much about professional relationships between a therapist and a client, and how Timothy was just very brave to reach out to Aubrey, who is not a full licensed therapist, but it’s someone who’s licensed in, you know, mental health or the medical field to just, you know, for him to have someone to talk to.\u201d said Escalante.<\/p>\n
While the film was originally finished in 2022, Escalante made the choice to wait a couple years before releasing his first film.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2022 I had the opportunity to screen Aubrey’s Understandings in 2023 but when the SAG strikes happened, I respectfully chose to not screen my film in public, even though Aubrey’s Understandings is not affiliated with any union, and it was my way to pay extra respects to my friends who were SAG actors or were in any sorts of union working on production that cannot get work, it was my way and respect to not just screen my film, just so I can just reserve my consideration for those that were at the picket lines in Los Angeles.\u201d said Escalante.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel very honored. I feel like this was probably the right time to actually screen Aubrey’s Understandings, because I’ve waited so long and I have been insanely patient and very content that if I had waited just another year or two, when I reached a point where I’m established as a filmmaker, I feel like this is a perfect time now that I have another project in development.\u201d said Escalante.<\/p>\n
At the end of his premiere, Escalante treated guests to an exclusive look at another film he has that is in post-production.<\/p>\n