This time on filmmaker.

[announcer] This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts on the web at arts.gov and by Oolite Arts.

What Miami is made of Beat Lingo follows the story of young Marcus.

A boy who suffers from mutism, who's trying to find his voice, but there's a secret he's been hiding from the world that we will soon find out.

Hope you all enjoy.

It's Miss Spencer.

Can you please tell me what's wrong with my son?

Marcus is not deaf.

However, we are seeing some damage to his vocal cords, which is complicating Marcus's ability to speak.

Due to his age, it's still very early, but in my professional opinion, Marcus will never be able to talk.

He's mute.

Tell them homie you wrote that call talking money on my phone.

I got digits in the bank.

Yeah, little mama.

I am grown.

I ain't got no time for losers.

Always winning.

Team got shoulders, Mama, be like a computer, dropping bangers like ruler Mommy's rocking like these Always icy like a cooler You think I robbed a jeweler Rings, I only coach perfection.

I see this is Marcus' first time enrolling in regular school.

Yeah, he was home taught all his life, but it's been tough lately and we just can't afford it anymore.

Our exceptional student education program, ESC, provides student with particular obstacles- Oh, wait, wait, wait.

ESC?

Special Needs?

Lady, my son ain't retarded.

He's just mute.

My son is- Ma'am please We do not refer to anyone as retarded.

Put my boy in a regular class, not no ESC special needs.

Give him a chance.

Okay, Miss Spencer, this is what I'm going to do.

I will put Marcus in a regular class.

If he cannot keep up, I will be forced to put him in our ESC program.

You have no choice.

You have to stay and look this nice lady is gonna take you to your new class, alright?

Hey guys, guys, guys settle down please settle down.

Good morning Mr. Park.

Good morning.

We have a new student that will be joining your class today.

His name is Marcus Spencer.

[mr. park] Hi there Marcus.

Happy to have you join to our class.

Please make sure to read his file.

Okay.

Have a good day.

Okay.

Marcus, why don't you just take a seat where ever you'd like for now.

I'll give you an assigned seat later.

Yo Alicia, what's with you always writing in that stupid book of yours.

Why you always picking on her?

Yeah, you care?

Hey, hey.

Cut it out.

Both of you.

You have a seat.

And you have a new seat over there.

No.

He think he's funny.

He's really not.

Okay, now that that's over, can we please keep the foolishness down to a minimum?

Everyone, I think you mean Chris Whatever, Gino.

I know you're not talking.

[gino] Man.

Don't throw me into this.

Guys, come on.

We don't need to start the day off like this.

Oh, before we get started, Marcus Spencer, I like for everyone to make him feel at home with us, okay.

Marcus, is there anything would you like to tell us about yourself?

Yo, you good?

I don't think anyone's home.

Just leave him alone.

Let's not overwhelm Marcus.

Let's just make him feel at home with us.

Hey Marcus, nice to meet you.

My name's Alicia.

Yo.

What the hell man, you scraped my shoes.

Yo, Sean, aren't those new?

Yes, bro.

I just got these.

You should apologize for messing up your Jordans bro.

Say you're sorry This dude ain't even defending himself, man.

I think I'm gonna throw up.

Come on, forget this loser.

Are you deaf?

Apologize Marcus, you were blank the whole ride home.

What's wrong?

No.

Marcus, tell me what's wrong.

Talk to me.

What's wrong?

Marcus, tell me what's wrong.

Marcus, you don't have to hide.

Life's not fair.

It'll never be fair.

And as much as you and I want it to be, I'm not going to be here forever.

Baby, there is nothing wrong with you.

You are just like those other kids.

They just have to get to know you better.

There will come a time, where you are gonna have to go out on your own and I want...

I need you to be prepared for that.

It's all a part of growing up.

Do you understand?

Do you understand?

Hey Marcus.

Hey, where are you from?

Hey, I understand what it's like to be the new kid and no one wants to talk to you.

Can you speak?

Oh, don't mind them.

They're just practicing for the upcoming battle.

School's best rappers and beat boxers come together to compete to see who's best?

Chris is looking to beat out Sean.

You had the unfortunate luck of meeting Sean yesterday.

I like to write a little myself but I don't think I'm as good as these guys.

That's why I'm afraid to even try to get in the battle.

Put the pen with a sharp punch off foot of the stretch by crewing up killers in the ya stretch and ain't not talking beauty but for someone wash graffiti You can't see me beat me Look who it is guys.

Hey are you dumb or deaf?

I wonder what it's like to be that worthless.

[student] Man, you know he's not gonna say anything.

What's up Alicia?

Hey Chris.

Going to the battle today?

Yeah, I think I'm gonna go.

You gotta be there, Alicia.

I's gonna be legendary.

Yo, we really gotta come with our A game, if we're gonna beat Sean.

You make it seem like, I don't know this, I got this, but make sure you're coming that fire beat box.

Hey man, what's up?

Yo, what's up with him?

Guys, I don't think he can talk.

What do you mean?

Like a mute?

He could at least be nice.

Do you wanna see how we get down around here?

Come to the back courtyard at the school Dog it's a eulogy I'm here to perform it It's Big Sean John versus don't worry it's not important It doesn't matter, you will not survive You're rapper number two, your sister's Mambo number five I got- Sean is a rap king of the battle.

That's why Chris wants nothing more than to beat Sean and be on top.

Tech support I got hands ready to hurt something I'm hit you with that nine to five I'm make your show workable I saw chick, I said hi I'm masking' bro- No, no.

I would never dare to step up to the battle.

You have to have guts and I don't have it.

And Kyle just so happens to be the school's best sheet boxer.

Let's go talk to Chris and Gino.

Okay guys, just remember study tonight for your test tomorrow.

Hey Marcus, Everyone's going to the battle.

Sean and Chris are up.

I'm thinking about jumping in.

You actually showed up.

You really believe in yourself, huh?

Everybody might be afraid of you but I'm a different animal.

Hey, you need to be careful, yo.

[kyle] Just do what we came here to do man.

Chop it.

Yo face facts Don't wanna catch your fake cause you better stay back Watch this brown with the wild ladies check Flip it over, hit record, now press play back I bet ill with a sin Check your helmet neck Only difference in my flow stay intact without I doubt my local style make your brain twitch Read your episode on giving people face lifts Yo, your whole flows cover pretty minimal Your local is considered highly criminal I'm looking for real slot sitting and my kids are fed It's so lucky that you leaves battle alive So I'll pronounce you dead [all] Ooo, ohh You call that a rap This ain't a battle, this a knife fight I'm Freddie Kruger You should be sleeping with a nightlight Oh, forget to shoot your bed Rhyme tight I'm sorry, little Bow Wow This is gonna be like Mike You're a hippie bro Dead that Somebody tell Lenny Travis go as dreads back I'ma straight up defeat you In this game, your my son Watch me take my bell off and beat you I may have you talk like see Palm Stick with the Christopher Res rock between the two of us This kid's done To not lose into a battle to Will Smith's son [all] Ooohh You would think I'm getting the Holy Ghost Holy smokes Even though you're focused when a ropey dope Homie has chokey throat.

Something like a smoker joke.

What are you doing, bro?

I knew you guys are trash.

You know what?

It's over.

Yeah.

Gather around Let me grab your attention Stand here facing the crowd Spin my flow with the- Yo, what happened, Chris?

Alicia has to come and save you.

You guys are a joke.

Quit now.

before you embarrass yourself, anymore.

You think you can face Alicia Please In this battle, I'll play you like a piano I'm Alicia Keys Saying you like to fight cause you enjoy it Cool, Good luck in jail when you can't find a place of employment Maybe if you hit the books that hard When it comes time for your report card You wouldn't look so scar Oh, you're a big tough bully.

Wow.

Don't look so sharp when you read out loud You keep messing up You'll be a failure I'll grow up to have my own business You'll be living in a trailer and when it comes to this beat, I'm done And don't talk about girls 'Cause you just got beat by one [all] Oooh!

They just can't just jump in like that.

Man, shut up Yo, what was that bro?

That was dope.

How'd you do that?

You gotta teach me, man?

Thank you so much for helping me.

So many of us are trying to find our voice in this world.

Marcus is doing the same thing.

He's trying to figure out where he belongs and how he can fit into this world and I think we can relate so much to that.

That's what what inspired me to tell this story.

We were lucky enough to shoot at Jose de Diego Middle School, which is here in Miami-Dade and that school has so much character.

I thought that it really reflected what Miami is.

You know, so diverse, so much color, so much culture.

Initially we wanted to tell a story that was a little bit more grittier and in the editing, we decided to go with something more uplifting and inspiring and not focused so much on the bad.

Being able to work with these young kids, they're so talented.

They're so...they're such professionals and it really truly just inspired me to work even harder.

Hi, my name is Zoe Milenkovic and I'm the writer and director of the film Solitary Guitarist, 1865.

It's a film about a lonely folk singer who's contemplating her place in the world and asked the audience to do the same.

She asked, what is art and what is audience?

I hope you enjoy it.

A black cat passes in front of my path and I think what a strange method for the world to tell me things aren't gonna go my way today but you never know if your way was even right The crowd of dolls with buttoned eyes never seem to see past your disguise but you realize you ought to look behind their buttons for a change is your way even right Take Sally Adjective and Little Johnny now they're arguing about, who knows He says, calm down But this is not the first time he's made this mistake He takes her out to dinner even though she'd rather take a break.

There's Mr. Food Critic.

He takes a bite He's tasted so much food, he don't know wrong from right and yet what's on the line is this restaurant's life.

He judges harsh not knowing the chefs watch just out of sight A black cat passes in front of your path and you don't look twice You don't even notice me singing from the corner of your eye I am just like a painting ornamental on the wall What's the point of art If you don't listen to its call Stop staring at me.

The main character is literally a solitary guitarist but it's referencing this painting, this old Russian painting that the main character, Joan, feels very connected with.

Essentially, she sees herself as the solitary guitarist.

She contemplates this painting in the same way that she feels the audience should contemplate her.

This film specifically is very inspired by the Cohen brothers.

I start to think about the perspective of movies, like we are watching movies but in a sense like the movies are watching us.

Especially from the perspective as a writer and director in film school.

Like we are always watching the people watching our movies.

So I wanted to make a film about that relationship between art and artist and the perspective of each.

Good people.

Every problem doesn't seem so big because it's an adventure.

Everyone can figure out a way to solve it.

Definitely my lead actress, Brooke.

She learned guitar.

She actually put in the work and she learned this song and learned how to play it on guitar at the same time.

It's kind of complicated.

Like she had to learn how to finger pick.

So I honestly, I could not complete this without her.

Hello everybody.

My name is Deondre Marshall and I am the director and actor, screenwriter for Self Confliction: Effort.

This is a project that I worked with the nonprofit organization, Urgent Inc.

They have helped me pave the way to my success as a filmmaker and I want to thank them so much.

Enjoy the video.

Look, I know I messed up.

I don't know man, I'm sorry.

Just know that the word "sorry", is a word that you keep using when you let someone down.

I'll do better, alright?

Shut up.

You keep promising things.

Nobody want to hear that anymore, man.

I'm trying Now you keep saying that.

Every time you keep saying you gonna try.

You're not trying.

I said I'm trying.

I could never amount to any of your expectations.

You keep setting these bars For what?

To keep proving that I'm a joke.

You couldn't have been more wrong.

The bars I set for you are attainable.

You just lack heart.

You don't know what you're talking about.

Oh, I know what I'm talking about.

You just never follow through and you always wonder why you fail.

Remember the time, you were riding your little skateboard.

You fell, you hurt your knee and you had a fear of riding again, right?

Oh, or what about the time you were trying to do kickboxing?

You kept kicking and kicking and kicking and kicking and kicking.

You got too tired, your leg hurt, and you wanted to quit.

Just listened me, alright.

No matter how big or small the situation is, I know the answers, okay.

It's not about trying anymore, bro.

It's about doing, trying isn't enough.

You with me?

The inspiration for this piece, it just comes from my own life.

It's that conversation that I have with myself.

I think as anyone, as creatives, as a person, as people in general, we have this conversation like, okay, am I putting enough effort, as much as I think I am.

Real personal, at least for me, hopeful.

It was a self shot film.

I mean, the only team was just me, myself and I I just wanted to challenge myself as a filmmaker I've always wanted to make a self shot film make a simple story that will impact a lot of people.

I'll say the story kind of improved like just by adding a music score and just keeping everything dramatic and not suspenseful, but thought provoking.

I was born and raised in Miami, Florida.

Everything I shot was in the heart of Little Haiti.

Liberty City is pretty much in the heart of Miami so I can say it's South Florida film.

[announcer] This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts on the web at arts.gov and by Oolite Arts What Miami is made of.