NC State alumnus and North Carolina native Darius Dawson recently returned home to direct his short film “Trash,” a project which he developed the idea for several years ago.  

The film’s story began in a Maryland basement a few years ago where Dawson was living while helping a friend with his New York University film thesis. During this time, the young filmmaker began to write “Trash,” after developing the concept while he was delivering pizzas in rough neighborhoods. 

Dawson’s colleague Melanie Ramos, who now works as Dawson’s director of photography, read the story and immediately said it was worth putting to film. 

“Trash” tells the story of Charli, a teenage runaway who is confronted by her abusive stepfather when he discovers where she has been hiding. At the same time, Charli is struggling to decide whether to keep or abandon her baby from an ill-besotted relationship. Ultimately, Dawson describes “Trash” as a story of what people choose to throw away and what they decide to keep. 

Dawson decided to come back to North Carolina to shoot this film because he wanted it to be truly authentic.  He believed the film would be better if it were actually done in the Deep South where the story is set. 

“All of my stories are based on people I know from growing up in Fayetteville,” Dawson said. “I came to North Carolina because I wanted authenticity.”

The environment also drew him to North Carolina. While envisioning “Trash,” Dawson saw the story occurring during spring. The spring represents Charli’s all-too-quick growth from a teenage girl to a woman. The rural areas of North Carolina fulfilled Dawson’s vision. 

Although North Carolina provided a great setting for the film, he and his production crew had to get used to the slow pace of the South. Dawson had worked in Asia and other more urban areas for several years, so he had to readjust to the laid-back nature of the rural areas.

“I hadn’t been back home in a while,” Dawson said. “I’ve been making films in Asia and Chicago, and I had forgotten how slow-paced it is down South. “

Despite this, Dawson had an easy time shooting the film because of his long-term relationship with most of his workers. His key collaborators were his producer Robbin McCulloch and his cinematographer Melanie Ramos, both of whom he met while studying film at NYU. 

During their time at NYU, the group worked on more than 20 films together.  Because of this, Dawson says they quickly understood one another’s needs and ideas, which made the filming of “Trash” a smooth process. 

“I decided to work on ‘Trash’ because I am a big supporter of Darius,” said Ramos on Dawson’s website. “I believe ‘Trash’ is a story that needs to be told, and I know he is the best director to tell it.”

Dawson said he and his collaborators are excited to see how the film turns out. Having had the idea for it over five years ago, he has seen the story develop from a concept, to a written story, to a soon-to-be film. 

“It’s crazy how the story went from paper to film,” Dawson said. “It’s been an amazing experience.”

He hopes “Trash” will have an active viewership and that it will challenge and encourage its viewers. 

“I want people to open their eyes and see that people are people no matter where they are or what economic status they are from,” Dawson said. 

“Trash” is now in the post-production process. Once the film is finished, Dawson said he plans to arrange a viewing of it on campus, adding that he wants to return to NC State to tell his story and to encourage students interested in film careers.