It was my final year of undergrad at UC Davis. My calling was to be a filmmaker, but I hadn’t even made a short film. I was helping assist my friends in making their films, but I never had the guts to make my own. Until one day, an idea came to me about a street performer who wants to see a movie but he doesn’t have the money to buy a ticket. And that’s where the story of Chocolate was born.I wanted to make a film which felt personal. Which encompassed all the things I loved in my life. My love for my family, friends, and of course, the movies. But I had many doubts crop up in my mind as I was gathering my group of friends and preparing for the film.Every day, I needed at least ten background actors. Every day, we would film at four different locations. Every day, we needed to manage people walking past the camera. I thought this movie wasn’t going to be made.But thankfully, it did get made. Why? Because I was surrounded by people who were as ambitious about the film as I was and there was such a richly creative and collaborative energy throughout the entire production, that every obstacle felt minor.I ended my time at Davis by making a film which I was proud of and reinforced my love for storytelling and filmmaking. I won’t let anything stop me from pursuing my dream of making movies which make people laugh, cry, think, and be inspired to be a little more kinder and empathetic.