Film Update: Accepted

POV caught up with Accepted director and producer Dan Chen to provide a window into the making of his film and reflect on the journey since the cameras stopped rolling. The following are his words, lightly edited, for clarity and context.

How did you first get involved with the project? When did you know this story was going to be a documentary?

Jason Y. Lee, producer on the film and founder of Jubilee Media, had seen the viral videos and called the school to see if they would be open to a long-form documentary. He approached me to direct the project, and I connected to the idea of following the next class of students going through their senior year and the college admissions process. It would be a story of outsiders and an examination of the American Dream: the school is under resourced, the students are mostly Black, and they’ve been made famous for sending graduates to Ivy League schools. I wanted to see that story from the students’ perspectives, to feel the pressure they feel, and to see the work and the obstacles of doing something that society does not necessarily expect of you. From the beginning, it was always going to be a documentary about one school year at a notable school from the students’ POV.

What were some of the biggest surprises and challenges you encountered during the filmmaking process?

We did not know about the allegations that the New York Times exposé covered when we began filming at TM Landry. We had been filming for months when we learned that there was a different side to the story, and spoke with families, teachers, and students who had left the school. It was an incredibly difficult time — our relationship with the school crumbled, but more importantly, these students and families felt betrayed and the community was divided. We actually paused the documentary process entirely so that we could provide any help we could, even though most folks who had left the school were already in touch with lawyers and reporters. It wasn’t until after the students we’d already connected with had left the school and asked if we were going to continue the documentary, that we gave it serious consideration and decided that there was a productive and helpful thing we could provide — to dive into all of the complexity of the story by centering their voices.

What has happened with the protagonists since the film wrapped? If they’ve seen the film, what was their reaction?

Each of the students is pursuing a different path through adulthood. Alicia is has finished several internships and is gearing up to finish college. Isaac has dived deeper into his interest in mechanical engineering and overseeing automotive projects at his school. They’re literally building cars. Cathy has moved into a new and bigger house with her family, and she’s continuing to pursue her degree and figuring out what her vocation will be. James, the student at Yale, has graduated. And Aighty (whose original song is featured in the end credits of Accepted) released an album and is going full steam ahead with a career in music. They all had different reactions to seeing the finished movie. To summarize, I’d say it seemed like a surreal experience to have a truly insane year of your high school experience committed to film. But I hope and believe that it was also a validating and empowering experience, to have their separate journeys tied together into one story, to speak from that platform together.

What informs your form and approach to documentary filmmaking? What are your biggest influences?

Some of my favorite documentaries include Minding the Gap, Cameraperson, the Up series, and OJ: Made in America. I tend to gravitate towards a naturalistic style that prioritizes people over the filmmaking apparatus, keeping my crew and equipment footprint as small as possible, although I also think each film should be true to its own unique style and that all forms of filmmaking are valid and powerful. For Accepted, I wanted it to feel as if a student had filmed their classmates throughout the school year, and so we kept the camera handheld and natural — no frills — so that viewers would feel connected to their point of view.

What do you hope your audiences will take away after watching the film? 

First and foremost, I want to center the perspective of outsiders — whether racial, economic, or otherwise — because I believe outsiders often have to work harder to succeed in society, and in many ways have a clearer perspective on the world we live in. I hope that any viewer who watches the film connects with the people we followed and understands where they are coming from. And I hope the film expands people’s perceptions of concepts like fairness, meritocracy, and what it means to be accepted. 

What are you working on now?

I’m in development on several projects both in the narrative and documentary space, focusing on coming of age stories from outsider perspectives.

Accepted is streaming until November 10th on pbs.org and the PBS Video app.