Filming will begin in Springfield within the next 30 to 45 days.
Film producer and director Stephen "Stix" Josey, left, with author Keshawn Dodds, right. SPRINGFIELD – Keshawn Dodds’ book “Who’s On My Side?” about a teenage boy struggling with an alcoholic father and tough upbringing is about to be a feature length film shot in Springfield.
Dodds’ “Who’s On My Side?” was published in December 2011, and took to the stage as a play the following spring. Dodds wrote the story after a particularly moving dream.
“I had a dream, and from the dream I created my characters. It included some of the things I witnessed when I was a student,” Dodds said. “I realized some people have things going on inside themselves, and you can’t judge them because you don’t know what’s going in their lives.”
The story also took inspiration from Dodds’ own life. Growing up, his father was an alcoholic, who passed away when Dodds was 7 years old.
Dodds also witnessed his best friend, Marcus McDowell, lose a battle with prostate cancer when he was a teenager. The two started writing the comic book "Menzuo- Solar Warrior," which Dodds continued to write and publish as a children's series after McDowell's passing. The memory of McDowell pushed Dodds to write "Who's On My Side?"
“He was an avid artist and I was an avid writer. I never knew this was something I was passionate about until him,” Dodds said.
But “Who’s On My Side,” which covers heavy topics, was not an easy thing to write.
“When I first wrote it I was afraid to put it out, because it was so deep and dark with the main character, Kalen Brown,” said Dodds. “In my subconscious, it addressed so many issues that I never thought I would want to put in a book. When I gave it to my editor he said ‘You have to put this out because it can help so many people in similar situations and help them work it out, dark as it is.’”
The story resonated with film producer-director Stephen “Stix” Josey. The two met through a mutual friend.
“It’s kind of funny, it was a divine intervention. My Internet was down, and I clicked on the radio and it was one of our associates, our friends on the radio, talking to (Josey), and I said ‘I have to meet this guy.’ He got me in touch with him within 10 minutes,” said Dodds.
Josey, who graduated from Springfield College, knew about Dodds after watching him play football at Central High School and at American International College, where Dodds graduated from and is now the director of Greek Life, Dodds said.
“I thought the story was compelling. I could feel the passion, I could see what happened. My father died of cancer too,” said Josey. “The real struggle of the saga within the story, the mother not being there, the father being an alcoholic, and the main character taking different avenues constantly, is amazing.”
Josey, who is the co-founder of MSJ Productions, has worked on and produced music artists and now feature films. He recently directed and acted in the film “Angels Around Me.” He won “Best First Time Director” at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival.
“I was an angel in ‘Angels Around Me,’ but it was really about me finding God at an early age. So many of us only have faith to lean on, like Brown (the main character in ‘Who’s On My Side?’). Keshawn’s story just made me think ‘I have to turn this into a script,’” said Josey.
Dodds graduated with his master of education degree from AIC in 2009, and worked as an aide for former Springfield Mayor Charles V. Ryan. He is also a motivational speaker.
“Who’s On My Side?” is currently in pre-production, but will begin production in the next 30 to 45 days, Josey said.
“We’ve got the city behind us and we’re going to go ahead with the production soon. We’re always looking for product placement within the city, we’re looking for the story of the city,” said Josey. “People may want to have their businesses shown in the movie. The real objective is to have Springfield become the next Hollywood. Let’s do it here, this is going to be the first feature film shot in Springfield.”
Dodds hopes that the film, along with his personal success story, will inspire others in tough positions.
“I want to help other people see that if they have a dream, they can make it happen. As long as you put your faith in it, things you don’t think you can do can happen. I’ve seen my book move from a play into a motion picture. But a dream doesn’t become a reality unless you work hard,” said Dodds
The MSJ Productions film “Angels Around Me” will be shown on October 30 at 7 p.m. at AIC, where producer Stephen “Stix” Josey (also of “Who’s On My Side?”) will be on hand to answer questions, following the film.
The film “Who’s On My Side?” is expected to be released under MSJ Productions by the spring or summer of 2013, depending on the distributor, said Josey.