Welcome to Filmmaker Fridays, where every week we highlight our Coffeehouse Cinema filmmakers and their amazing projects.

Today we are featuring Joshua Kissi, director of the short film It Takes a Village. Since screening at Coffeehouse Cinema Vol. 3, It Takes a Village has resonated with its audience for its exploration of masculinity and rites of passage.

In the feature below, Joshua discusses how being a father played into his directing and how he got his start in making films.

Thank you Joshua for sharing your time. More about Joshua below before getting into our conversation!

What was it like having your wife and son on set while making this film?

Having my wife and son on set was incredibly special. Filmmaking is already such a privilege, but seeing my son running around exploring the cameras and being part of that world made the experience deeply personal. It reminded me that one day he’ll be able to watch this film and see a story about fatherhood that I created during this chapter of our lives.