Biola student film project “Falling Roses,” which was released in June 2022, is set to film a sequel episode in two weeks. Junior business administration major Christian Lukens, who directs and stars in the film, and sophomore cinema and media arts major Joel Corral, who produced the piece, discussed all that is to come with the new series, which has garnered just under one thousand views on YouTube and gathered attention among Biola students since its release.

THE VISION

Lukens describes “Falling Roses” as one cohesive story inspired by the music videos of artists like Logic and The Weeknd. 

“Every song links, but it has a story,” Lukens said. “That was what gave me the idea. I wanted to do a series, and I wanted to make a brand around it as well.” 

 “Falling Roses” tells the story of 22-year-old Aiden, who, on his anniversary, “uncovers a hidden secret that changes the course of his life forever.” Eight months passed from the initial planning stage to the airing of the first episode. It helps to have connections to the Cinema and Media Arts department, where people like Corral help take visions and turn them into realities. 

“It was my first time ever doing a film, and the experience was amazing,” Lukens said. “Just working on set, we have an amazing crew of people. It was such an amazing experience.”

AIM TO INSPIRE

One hope that Lukens has for the series is to help people who have been through personal struggles and issues with relationships. 

“We want to help people who are going through the hard breakups, and to help them on the road to recovery, because when we go through breakups we go to that place where we don’t know what to do, we don’t know where to go from there,” Lukens said. “I hope this film can be a light at the end of the tunnel for those people.” 

In Episode 1, main character Aiden reached that dark place of uncertainty. The show will continue to inspire recovery moving forward.

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

Episode 2 is expected to be released by the end of the year. As of right now, Episode 1 has reached 800+ views on YouTube, so needless to say it has connected with many viewers around campus and beyond. Be sure to check out “Falling Roses” on YouTube to support a film series from some of Biola’s own.