Hello, and thanks for tuning in to another episode of The Directors Cut, brought to you by the Directors Guild of America,

featuring today's top directors sharing behind-the-scenes stories of their latest films and insights into the craft of directing.

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In this episode, Rashad Ernesto Green takes us behind the scenes of his new drama,

Premature. Set in a hot summer in Harlem, Green's film tells the story of 17-year-old poet Ayanna, who is drawn into a relationship with Isaiah, a young music producer who moves

into the city just as Ayanna is about to leave for college. In addition to premature, Mr. Green's

directorial credits include the feature film Gun Hill Road,

an episode of the miniseries Looking for Alaska, and episodes of the series, Grim, Supernatural,

The Vampire Diaries, Being Mary Jane, The Quad, Vita, Luke Cage, Proven Innocent, and The Shy.

Following a recent screening of the film at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles, Mr. Green spoke with director Dawn Wilkinson about filming premature.

Listen on for their spoiler-filled conversation

hey y'all hi everybody welcome and thank you for such a beautiful film Rashad it was

really beautiful.

I'm just curious what inspired you to approach this subject matter

and this story.

So thank you so much.

The film started as a short film in 2008

that I wrote and directed when I was at NYU graduate

film school.

About a young woman, she's 14 years old who gets pregnant in the Bronx and how she has

to deal with that pregnancy within her family and community.

And I cast Zora Howard as the lead in that film. And she was 14 years old at the time

...