Green Light

After his new girlfriend unearths a box of sensitive memorabilia, an obsessive runner must confront his first love – his science teacher – to save their relationship.

Creative team

Writer/director/producer: Bunthivy Nou
Producer: Randy Pelletier

Filmmaker’s statement

Green Light is a short drama about a young man who confronts his former high school teacher with whom he had a relationship as a teenager.

I want to use the street intersection as a metaphor for the crossroad that Preston faces, whether he chooses to move forward with his life or not. The concept of ‘crossroads’ is threaded throughout to tell this story through the use of patterns in wardrobes and set design (ie. plaids, checkers, crosses etc).

Preston is very much in a state of limbo. The small apartment he shares with girlfriend Raye still has some moving boxes lying around. Although Preston paints the portrait of a well-adjusted young man, we see glimmers of cracks in his character. His relationship with Jane, his attractive science teacher, as a 14-year-old boy has affected him in ways he has long refused to acknowledge.

His confusion of love and sexual gratification has Preston constantly trying to fill a hole inside. His passion for running has become a manifestation of his inability to overcome his shame and forgive himself, but for what?

In a moment of clarity, we witness Preston finding the courage to stop running from his past and move forward with his life, culminating in a confrontation with his former teacher to answer the ultimate question of why.

This coming-of-age story is an intimate character-driven film that centres on the relationship dynamics between Preston, Jane and Raye while exploring the personal struggles of the protagonist. The themes of guilt, shame and forgiveness are explored.

Although Preston’s experience is not something I can directly relate to, the universal theme of forgiving yourself in order to move forward is something I can connect with. I believe this will also resonate with audiences, and I hope audiences will find inspiration through the protagonist’s struggles.

About Bunthivy Nou

Bunthivy Nou is an award-winning filmmaker and actor based in Fredericton.

President and owner of Yellowwood Pictures, her first short film, A Lion’s Tale, debuted at the Atlantic Film Festival and won best short New Brunswick drama (2008 Silver Wave Film Festival).

She was selected to direct Hide and Seek, which was one of three short films produced through the New Brunswick Film Co-op’s Diplomatic Relations film series. Her short comedy Super Geek Math Boy! won best short New Brunswick comedy (2010 Silver Wave Film Festival).

Bunthivy is a dean’s scholar graduate with a BA in multimedia studies and a certificate in film production from the University of New Brunswick. She also trained at the Summer Institute for Film and Television, New Brunswick Filmmakers’ Co-op, Atlantic Filmmakers Co-op, the London Film School (UK), and was selected to participate in the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s national apprenticeship training program in 2007-08.

Since 2003, she’s worked on over 30 productions including short films and two features (Stuck, Blue Seduction). She participated at the 2012 PEI Screenwriters Bootcamp to develop a feature-length script.

Keys, a feature film project by Bunthivy and her producing/writing partner Randy Pelletier, was recently shortlisted for the Telefilm Feature Film Micro-Budget Production Program.

Bunthivy is a member of the New Brunswick Filmmakers’ Co-op (past president and board member) and a member of Women in Film and Television – Atlantic.