Wiregrass native makes director debut with new movie
DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) -A Wiregrass native turned director is celebrating the streaming debut of his recent horror movie, “Trinket Box,” on Tubi.
Acorye White is an Alabama native who was born in Ozark, grew up in Clayton and still enjoys visiting family in Dothan. On June 12, a film he directed, wrote and starred in came out on a free-to-use streaming platform.
Other local talents who worked on “Trinket Box” are Executive Producers Tru’kessa S. Scott and Annie R. Austin from Clayton and Arthur Bruce Junior from Montgomery.
Though he is one of the main faces in the film, White didn’t always want to be an actor. His passion grew from an acting 101 class he took at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he also took the field as a football player.
“Once I got on the stage, everything just disappeared,” White explained. “And that only happened to me in sports, so I was like ‘not goanna tell anybody about this.”
Under hot stage lights, White found a way to connect his new passion with one he found in elementary school. When he was in 5th grade, his teacher gave out writing exercises each day and he challenged himself to do something bigger.
“So, I made this whole movie up, and every day she got to read it,” White said. “By the time I was leaving school there, she was crying to my mother, ‘Hey, never stop him from writing.”
Now, White has made a career out of acting, writing and directing. In addition to his director debut film, he has an even bigger project in the works with a big name in show business.
“We got Chris Brewster,” White said. “He’s the top Hollywood stunts coordinator. So, he’s done ‘Black Panther,’ ‘Captain America,’ ‘Dare Devil.”
He said it will be a while before “Bellmont, “his other project, makes its theatrical release. Preparations are underway as White has been put on a diet and training regiment to prepare for his role in the action film.
The opportunity to make a career in the film industry did not come to White. It was something he had to boldly work for.
“Believing in yourself. That’s the part we kind of overlook. I had a passion for something, and I was willing to do whatever it took to get it, and that’s where most people fail.”
The company that White is with, Anchor Lens Productions, works to make a social impact and donates 10% of their earnings towards a homeless rehabilitation and apprenticeship program.
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