Screenwriter Iver William Jallah Talks New Feature Film ‘Blood Orange Moon’

Director and screenwriter Iver William Jallah (left) and producer Jesse Porter will collaborate again on the upcoming feature film, ‘Blood Orange Moon’ | Image courtesy of Film Keyz Productions

Last year proved to be grand for Fort Worth-native filmmaker Iver William Jallah. Upon its premiere at Fort Worth, Texas’ Lone Star Film Festival last November, Grand Isle, on which Jallah was a screenwriter, received a Spotlight Award. Jallah’s feature film debut also received an honorable mention at the San Diego Black Film Festival.

Now, Jallah is set to return to the screen with his next film, Blood Orange Moon.

Blood Orange Moon incorporates elements of dystopia and surrealism, while providing an allegory on American culture and society.

“This is the type of film where I got to really explore my imagination,” Jallah says. “It started off as a simple game night comedy. I felt like it was OK, but right when the pandemic hit there was this war in society. It inspired me to raise the stakes in the film, to kind of an apocalyptic ‘zom-com.’”

With Blood Orange Moon, Jallah plans to cover topics like social justice, religion and human behavior. Production is set to begin next month, with Jesse Porter, Natali Jones and Kerry Graves as producers. Chuck Hatcher (Children of the Corn) will serve as the director of photography.

For the roles, Jallah went through The Linda McAllister Agency to source Dallas-Fort Worth-based talent. Actors Jordan Dragon King and Giovanni Cruz are set to play leads in the film.

When writing Blood Orange Moon, Jallah wanted to break away from typical zombie thrillers. With Grand Isle, he was able to build a strong fanbase, who look forward to what he has in store.

Actor Nicolas Cage (left) served as the lead role in Jallah’s feature film debut, ‘Grand Isle’ | Image courtesy of Film Keyz Productions

“I’ve been paying attention to all of the reviews and podcasts,” Jallah says. “I have found a way to feed that fanbase of my writing, and that’s what really inspired me for this next film. It’s amazing what Grand Isle did for me as a filmmaker and how it helped me reach those weirdos out there. I consider myself one of them; a fan who loves films about surrealism.”

While COVID-19 has affected creators everywhere, Jallah has used this time to seek inspiration and tie today’s events into his work. He hopes to screen Blood Orange Moon at Lone Star Festival and SXSW once the world “returns to normal.”

In the meantime, Jallah looks forward to returning to set and working with local talent.

“I think the stars have aligned for this film to happen,” Jallah says. “There’s a lot of good energy behind it.”