Dylan Trivette (26) and Matt Zboyovski (24) spent nearly a year and half writing the screenplay for Miles Ahead, and what began as a way to prove themselves by making a smart, technically accomplished film, quickly became an emotional journey into the lives of the characters. “When we were growing up, we had friends and friends of friends die before they had a chance to show the world what they were made of,” says Trivette. “Talking with people about their personal experiences in losing loved ones made us focus on our lives and our experiences, and it gave us the courage to tell a story very close to us and the people we care about,” recalls Zboyovski. “What was extremely important about the story for us was to capture an authentic realism for our characters and the world they lived in,” states Trivette.  “The true source of the realism comes from the lack of concrete conclusions and clichés. The underlying fact of the film is that what we see in our main character “Miles Williams” is an unspoken reflection of most people – we really don’t know what lies ahead or why any of us do what we do, or why things happen the way they do, it just all boils down to the very real decisions we make, which is something seldom seen on film,” affirms Zboyovski.  The filmmakers also chose to tell Miles’ story in a non linear fashion in an attempt to portray Miles’ deep internal thoughts and feelings. Using images to capture moments both past and present rather than a succinct chronological order, their main focus was on the lasting effects memories have on a person, and to show those moments not as events but as personal feelings. “The film is meant to jump around, and reflect the way people associate and disassociate to certain things. To show the sporadic nature of our minds and the overwhelming feeling we get to ask questions and search for answers,” says Trivette.  As a way to further achieve a sense of realism Trivette and Zboyovski set the film in an environment that they had a strong connection to, making the surroundings a part of the journey and allowing the mountainous landscape to serve as both a comfort and a hurdle to the characters. By nature the story of Miles Ahead is a simple tale of a young man struggling to understand the complexities of life, but it becomes a much greater narrative through the filmmakers application of their own personal experiences. “We wanted to explore the life of someone close to our own age, and to understand what it’s like to be on the cusp of change and what it takes to allow that change the possibility to flourish,” says Trivette. “This is a story we knew and had to tell. It’s our chance to make the coming of age film in a way that has never been seen before,” says Zboyovski. The result is what filmmakers Trivette and Zboyovski feel is an original, contemplative and visually striking film.