When the Azaleas Bloomed is a film that follows a weary World War II pilot as he returns home to see his dying father, where he is forced to choose between leaving again or mending the broken relationships of his past he’s long tried to escape. The film embraces themes of family, forgiveness, and abandonment.

I have the pleasure of introducing the producing team for When the Azaleas Bloomed. Our feature-length film was selected as the SMU film department’s endorsed project and team for the 2025-27 Summer Feature Production. We are entirely student-led with faculty guidance, who have been impressed by our commitment and organization.

Jake Willeford, Writer and Director, has been working on this project for over three years now. He started the story concept as a book series and has worked closely with classmates and professors to adapt it into a screenplay. Callum Morrow, Executive Producer, has helped Jake through this process and knows the creative details inside and out. Liz Ginkul, Head Producer, has well-versed knowledge in the acting world and keeps comprehensive budgeting records. Adam Carley, Associate Producer, captures the essence of the entire film in each marketing element he produces. Finally, Brianna Gapsiewicz, Head Producer, passionately pitches our project to grant foundations, donors, and community connections to seek support. Everyone on this team was selected for their dedication to the project and their persistent, problem-solving attitude.

Azaleas has a production value of $115,000, but with in-kind donations, we reduced our financial need to $30,040. Our largest costs include production design for a period film, food, and housing cast/crew for two weeks. The film department is contributing $5,000 to our project, and we estimate $13,000 from awarded grants. We are seeking the remaining budget from donors looking to support student filmmakers.