Filming Still Here on location in New York was also a process that Holm cherished. Monique Fields was last year's recipient of the Rene Watson Scholarship, which annually supports a week-long independent writing retreat for a Black woman writer. In Still Here, when twelve-year-old Monique Watson disappears from home, her father, Michael Watson (McRae), refuses to give up even as the media and police make little effort in solving the case . Im surprised that it was written by someone from Romania, because its such an American story, he admitted. And if she didn't get the money, something bad was gonna happen to you." We're going to go to the beach." On top of that, Moniques not on the best terms with her family, and nobody in her family is willing to talk about it. But we then thought about a city like New York, which has millions of people living there, Feier shared. "I'm so hurt, and I'm crying for her, and I wish she could come back to me. Email. I thought it was weird but I didn't know what was going on. She phoned Michelle's parents, who immediately called Harrisburg police to report Michelle missing. Bipen Patel, manager at the Knights Inn, told police he met Monique when she was staying at a different hotel, near the Maryland border. Molly had been just days away from the marrying the man of her dreamsbut an investigation would reveal that Molly's fianc, James Addie, was not the man he pretended to be. Eventually they found an adult, and got to the police. Monique Watson is the Manager, Environmental Health & Safety, Palo Alto at DuPont based in Wilmington, Delaware. Amory: A lot of Moniques life has not been routine. Josh Crane Twitter Producer, Podcasts & New ProgramsJosh is a producer for podcasts and new programs at WBUR. I want to go everywhere! Moniques abductor got off with a slap on the wrist 15 years ago. Vlad Feier made his feature film writing, directorial and producing debuts on Still Here. The thriller, which the filmmaker co-scribed with Peter Gutter, is now playing in select theaters, as well as on VOD, courtesy of Blue Fox Entertainment. Christian starts off in one place, and then takes a full emotional journey throughout the film. Monique: I hope one day we could re-patch our relationship and just be talking again. But she left behind clues. S. Monique Person met with D.C. police . Broken promise after broken promise. When youre filming in an authentic location, theres no other place like New York. He was my mom's friend, maybe her boyfriend. "She told me she don't have a kid. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. I left the little amount of money I had with this girl for my son, and I drove my car until I ran out of gas. Ben: What Monique does know is that right after this happened, her mom made a big move. Her father says Michelle has always admitted to cashing two "extra" paychecks, which came to her accidentally in 2008. And we were just talking about everything about our lives. But Whitworth also admitted that at times, Feiers style of filmmaking didnt make sense to me. Nearby Areas. "She's already served more time than guidelines call for," Michael McMullen said. COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - A 10-year-old girl missing and believed to be with her non-custodial mother for more than a month has been found . And hes out now. Its why Im in education. And as we were driving to the beach, he had a couple of porn magazines and he ended up giving us the porn magazines and made us look through them and kind of suggested that we do that. They pulled Danielle into a back room and began to question her. But for me, it seemed like I wasn't allowed to make mistakes. As a graduate of LIU Post with a B.F.A in Journalism, Print and Electronic, Karen Benardello serves as ShockYa's Senior Movies & Television Editor. Amory Sivertson: Monique is 20. Michelle ditched her whole life in the passenger seat of her black 2002 Honda Accord. Amory: Moniques friends on the other hand, have wanted to talk about it. 'Still Here' is set in the aftermath of the disappearance of twelve-year-old Monique Watson from her New York City apartment. But the stuff that she went through as a kid, the remaining questions about her abduction, it was all still there. She always called me Mommy," Topka said. One of her clients recognized her as Michelle after watching a rerun of the Investigation Discovery show. Amory: This story, awful as it is, is incomplete. I love exterior shots, and have done a lot of them. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Danielle said she had no family, that she had run from her adoptive parents in Chicago because her father abused her. It was a big endeavor to shoot a movie like this on the budget we had in New York CityI commend Vlad for putting all the elements together, and pulling the production off. There are a few ways to reach us: Thanks to u/Oxidative for this weeks artwork, "Overflow." CNN . One thing that I'm learning to understand is that when you're a kid, you're gonna make mistakes, you're gonna get in trouble, you're gonna get grounded. Using their copy store as a command center, they posted fliers around the neighborhood, asking anyone who had seen Michelle to come forward. Her attorney did not return repeated calls for comment. In this case, the unfortunate thing was that he took a shortcut, and wrote a piece that just presented an option. They say and do things that are hard to take back. Feier, Whitworth and Holm generously took the time recently to talk about writing, directing, producing and starring in Still Here during individual exclusive phone interviews. It's really stressful. Monique has been found in 21 states including Indiana, Ohio, Connecticut, South Carolina, California. Just asking me questions that no one really asked me before. Clinging to their roof, Paul Watson's kids watched in tears as Layla battled floodwaters and was then washed away. View Details. And, you know, she helped me get a job. And my family felt like it was all their fault, too. She spent 28 months on the run, never speaking of her son, who was 6 years old when she left. Tragic circumstances can ultimately lead to people making rash, careless decisions, no matter what their involvement in the harrowing situation is, that will further negatively impact their lives. "She said she wanted me to teach her how to do hair. The world is in a weird transitional period, and being in a film that speaks to that was an amazing experience for him. And they started asking Topka who Danielle was to her. Michelle will tell her story in her own words eventually, he said. Let's look up the entire area in newspapers.com. Basically, he was found at fault for dropping the children off in the park and leaving them alone. But in general, I think New York City is a great example. Monique: On the police report I provided, you know, that didn't have the other girl's name. Monique: My mom started getting really heavily into drugs and that resulted in my aunt actually getting custody of me. "Some guy was abusing her every day. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Ben: Monique says that before she was born, her mom was using cocaine on the weekends. And she's like, "Do you even know who this guy is? Post published: January 29, 2023 January 29, 2023 Ben: Moniques more positive outlook in recent months is definitely because of her friends. And it was like, "Now what do I do? But there's just so many things she's been through. There are 100+ professionals named "Monique Watson", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. I do attend community college out here and I do a lot of odd jobs just to provide for myself. Christian Baker, a young New York journalist from The Chronicle, gets assigned to a social story about the disappearance of Monique Watson, a 12 years old African-American girl from Brooklyn. I'm hurt, but no matter how the situation is, she's still a person who is my daughter.". But she was silently having money problems. When twelve-year-old Monique Watson disappears from home, her father Michael Watson (McRae) refuses to give up even as the media and police make little effort in solving the case. Up until a few weeks ago, Monique had been looking for that police report for 15 years, even though she might not have realized it. terry nicholas bryk illness; monique watson missing true story . Even the initial storyline changed from Romania to New York and with a black family. So I knew that it was something that was supposed to be kept a secret. She got so mad. Monique: About two years ago, I had this mental breakdown. Amory: This Mary Poppins of libraries known as Pseudonymph on Reddit also had a useful tool at her disposal: access to pay-walled newspaper databases. Or maybe her mom wanted to get them both away from this guy, who abducted her. 10 Video Games That Need a Live Action Adaptation. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Associated persons: . Monique: When my mom told me she was selling drugs, I knew that I couldn't tell anyone. "They missed her by minutes," Thornton said. I have a lot of plans, I have a lot of dreams. Whitworth also enjoyed his experience of collaborating with the writer-director on Still Here. I like the way that (Vlad) trusts his actors. I want to go to Europe. I achieve this by listening to you; understanding your challenges, and offering solutions to improve and move forward.<br><br> After 13 years working in sales at Worldpay from FIS, I have a strong idea of what customers are looking for from their payment facilities.<br><br> With that said, every customer is an individual and every . We have to go to your mom. And, you know, I was a little kid, I'd seen this guy before. Even if we knocked on the door being hungry, it was, Were busy right now. She hasnt known the name of her abductor. Professional Affiliations. Filled with guilt, Christian helps Michael in search for his daughter, while facing resistance from the community, the police, and his publication. She said in a letter written from her Dauphin County jail cell that she can't talk about her story right now. Michelle was outed and on her way back to Harrisburg. And when we got there we were playing in the water. Amory: Im Amory Sivertson, and you're listening to Endless Thread. Monique: When I woke up, it was crazy, just so many responses, so many private messages from complete strangers. Whitworth also commented on the process of working with his co-stars throughout the production of the movie. I read the script, and thought it was wonderful; it made a clear statement. In general, theyre the most open-minded people in the world, the actor also noted. Ben: This is a familiar refrain to anyone who has been close to drug addiction. For 15 years, all Monique has had are the fragments. Resides in Parkville, MD. So then I auditioned for Vlad Feier, and he cast me.. Her family believed she'd been abducted. He pleaded guilty to one count of child endangerment a misdemeanor. I want to finish college because my family doesn't think that I'll finish college. Within my first day on the set, he had my absolute trust. Hopefully, this story will awaken the audience. It turned out that the hard work Danielle put in at that salon ended up giving her away. Its fun to be out there on the streets, and its great people watching, the performer noted. When 12 year old Monique Watson disappears from home, her father Michael Watson, refuses to give in as the media and police make little effort in solving the case. I don't know where he is. Monique A Watson, 50 Lives in Stratford, CT. I have to thank Adrienne Stern for this great casting.. Check resumes and CV, social media profiles, places of employment, publications, arrest records, business records, photos and videos, public records and skilled experts . There was nothing there. Topka said. I love shooting in Brooklyn, as well as the city as a whole. Maybe something even worse happened to her that she doesn't remember. It also made her moms refusal to talk make more sense. The assignment lands in the hands of journalist Christian Baker, who at first goes with the first lead, turning the entire case up side down. Read More . Christian with guilt decides to finally do his work properly finding himself in a race against time to help the family find the girl. She took Interstate 81 south and drove until her car ran out of gas near a Volvo truck plant in Hagerstown, Md. On January 17, . And I'm really grateful because my god-sisteractually moved from Las Vegas to live with me. She gets out at three. My mom was really honest with me about her selling drugs, but I feel like this whole kidnapping thing, she felt like it was all her fault. Monique Watson, as Michelle called herself, scurried to a back room, told employees she had to deliver a message to a housekeeper and vanished as the family friend called the McMullen family. Other parts have come back in bits and pieces over the years. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Meth. But like I mentioned, I spent several years working on the script, and then spent several years on production and editing. But in this separate database. ; 17.57% of Monique Watsons have university degree, while 12.16% have only high school diploma. Every one of the actors came in and brought it in the delivery processWhen I was working, everything was set up in a way that I was able to experience things as Christian. Monique Watson's Phone Number and Email Last Update. Christian decides to redeem himself and help the father in the search for his daughter, while facing resistance from the community, police and his own publication. Then one morning in January, police came and took her away. Monique Daniels was an average Oklahoma 15-year-old.