Hi everyone!
I’m Sandra, a filmmaker and moderator here on Stage 32, currently navigating the festival journey of my short film The Misstep. My work often explores how environment shapes emotion, story, and connection.
This month, I’d love to hear from you:
Where in the world are you creating from today, and how does your location influence your work?
Excited to learn from your corner of the world. :))
Happy IYW.
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Hi, Sandra Correia! Happy IYW! I'm creating from Greenville, North Carolina. My location doesn't influence my work, but I could write a script that takes place here. Thanks for the idea.
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Hello my friend Sandra Correia - a very Happy New Year and IYW my friend. I am creating from Nashville TN and getting to know some more beautiful people like you. I love seeing your updates on IG. Keep those coming!
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Thank you for sharing your background.
It’s great to see so many creatives connecting here.
Looking forward to being part of the Stage 32 community.
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Sandra Correia Hello and welcome! I am a creator from Mississippi. I primarily write in a southern gothic tone, and, yes, my location greatly influences my work. Thanks for all you do, have a great day!
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Hi Sandra Correia. Congratulations on getting your film to the point of a festival journey, that’s huge. I’m in Dallas, Texas, and the diversity here has definitely influenced my work and perspective. Wishing you the best of luck as you head into festivals!
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Love that, Maurice Vaughan. Happy IYW! Greenville could be such a rich backdrop. Sometimes the places we know best hold details we don’t even realize are cinematic until we look at them with a storyteller’s eye. You have lovely beaches on the coast, and I am curious about the Umbrella Market :)) If you ever decide to set a script there, I’d be curious to know what part of Greenville you’d spotlight first.
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Happy New Year, Leonardo Ramirez! Nashville has such an incredible creative energy. A perfect place to kick off IYW:)) And honestly, it must be a beautiful place to create, with so much culture and history around you… from Music City’s heartbeat to Memphis and the legacy of Elvis. I’m really glad the IG updates resonate, and I’ll keep them coming. Excited to see what you’re building this year, my brother. Always cheering for you <3
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Thank you, Allaguly Alyosh Klychev! It really is inspiring to see so many creatives connecting and supporting each other here. I’m glad you’re part of the Stage 32 community looking forward to seeing your journey unfold and the conversations you’ll spark. Happy IYW.
By the way, where are you creating and writing from?
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Thank you so much Sandra Correia - it means a lot. Good things coming for you and cheering you on as well!
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Thank you, Mikey Franks! Southern gothic from Mississippi feels like such a powerful combination: the atmosphere, the history, the contradictions, the storytelling traditions. It’s a place where the landscape itself seems to whisper stories. No wonder it influences your work so deeply.
And with the Mississippi River right there, you’ve got one of the most iconic, myth-soaked backdrops in American storytelling. That river carries memory, mystery, and movement, perfect fuel for a creator with your voice.
Really appreciate your kind words. Wishing you a great day too, and I’m looking forward to seeing how Mississippi continues to shape your work. Happy IYW.
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Thank you so much, Cyrus Sales, that really means a lot. Dallas sounds like an incredible place to create from, with so much diversity and so many intersecting cultures shaping the stories around you. And being so close to Fort Worth, I imagine the Stock Show & Rodeo must be a source of endless inspiration too: the energy, the tradition, the characters, and the spectacle. On a personal note, Dallas holds a special place in my heart as well; the Mayor once honored me with the Keys to the City, which was an unforgettable moment. Really appreciate the good wishes for the festival journey. I’m excited to see what you’re developing from your corner of Texas. Happy IYW!
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Thank you, my friend, Leonardo Ramirez. We are on this journey together and will win.
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Sandra Correia Morelia, MX thru Feb 9. Not sure where the next destination will take us.
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This is my first time hearing of the Umbrella Market, Sandra Correia. I'll check it out. Thanks. And The Umbrella Market could be the title of a story.
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I live in Louisiana where Steel Magnolias was written about and filmed in
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Happy IYW, Sandra Correia. I’m out of Arlington, Virginia, and I think the tech-forward environment where I grew up really shaped how I think in a sci-fi way. Being so close to D.C., with the museums, arts, and history right across the river, also played a big role in inspiring my love for folklore and imagining how things looked and felt in the past.
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Maurice Vaughan, I am happy I surprised you :)) It caught my eye when I searched your city, the name popped up, and I loved it. It really seems like a little gem. Definitely worth a visit if you ever find yourself in that corner of the city. And you’re right… The Umbrella Market absolutely sounds like the title of a story. It already has atmosphere, mystery, and a hint of character built into it.
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Morelia sounds like an incredible place to create from, Darrell Pennington, full of color, history, and that beautiful colonial energy. And Callejón del Romance looks like such a magical spot… the kind of place that practically begs for a romance or a rom‑com scene <3
Enjoy your time there through Feb 9. There’s something special about letting the next destination reveal itself; it often brings the best surprises for storytellers. Looking forward to seeing where the road takes you next. Happy IYW
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Louisiana is such a beautiful place to create from, Libby Wright, and being in the home of Steel Magnolias gives your surroundings an extra layer of storytelling magic. And with Mardi Gras season, you’re surrounded by color, music, masks, and that wild mix of joy and mystery… all of it feels like pure creative fuel. There’s so much character and emotion in those celebrations that a writer could pull endless inspiration from them.
Wonderful to have you here and sharing your corner of the world. Happy IYW!
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Happy IYW, Dwayne Williams 2! I’ve been to D.C. many times and it’s such a beautiful, inspiring city, but I’ve never had the chance to visit Arlington or the State of Virginia. Thank you for sharing a bit about your corner of the world and how it shaped your creative lens. That mix of tech-forward energy and the historical depth just across the river clearly had a powerful impact on your storytelling.
Excited to see how those influences continue to flow into your work.
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Hi,Sandra Correia and everyone. I’m on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, in Portugal, in Évora, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Being so far from the USA sometimes makes me feel, when I write, that I’m living a dream that may never come to life. But when I come here and start talking to people from all over the world, I realize that distance doesn’t really matter. Or better said, it matters, but only in the way my culture, my environment, and my daily life shape my writing. And honestly, that’s a plus in the world of cinema. I also wish The Misstep great success at the film festivals.
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Hi Sandra, and happy IYW! That’s a wonderful prompt, and a huge congratulations on the festival journey with The Misstep, exploring environment as a character is such a powerful approach. You can read the fantastic Stage 32 blog you likely shared, "The Importance of Location Management in Your Productions" (https://www.stage32.com/blog/the-importance-of-location-management-in-yo...). It perfectly articulates what I feel instinctively: a location is never just a backdrop; it’s an active, silent character that can elevate a script from good to unforgettable
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Sandra Correia I have to say how grateful I am for you, not just as a moderator or friend, but as a true global connector and creative force in this community. I’m so excited for you as you continue navigating the festival journey with The Misstep, and I love watching how you bring that same curiosity and care into the community spaces you moderate. Thank you for always opening the door for thoughtful conversation and reminding us that creativity doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
Happy IYW, my friend. Always cheering you on.
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Maria Caeiro, what a beautiful message. Évora is such a treasure, a UNESCO World Heritage city filled with history, poetry, and that quiet magic that seeps into anyone who creates. Writing from there isn’t a limitation; it’s a gift. Your culture, your environment, your daily rhythms… they give your stories a texture and authenticity no one else can replicate.
And you’re absolutely right, distance only matters in the best way. This community proves every day that creativity travels farther than geography ever could.
Thank you so much for the good wishes for The Misstep. Sending the same belief back to you: dreams born in Évora can absolutely cross oceans.
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Happy IYW, Sam Rivera, and thank you for such a generous message. I’m really glad the prompt resonated with you. And yes, that Stage 32 blog captures it beautifully. A location isn’t just scenery; it's the energy we bring to it. Thank you as well for the kind words about The Misstep’s festival journey. It means a lot <3
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Ashley Renée Smith!, your words mean more than you know. Thank you for seeing the intention behind what I do, the curiosity, the care, and the desire to make this community feel like a place where people can create and connect across borders. You embody that spirit just as much, and I’m constantly inspired by the way you show up here. I’m grateful to have you in my corner as The Misstep moves through its festival journey, and even more grateful for the friendship and creative energy we share in these spaces. Happy IYW to you too. I’m always cheering for you, right back.