The film industry is a “sink or swim” kind of field, yet Tiffany Hightower is navigating those waters quite well.
The writing junkie constantly has film ideas up her sleeve, but is currently getting significant recognition for a few of her pieces. One of which is getting buzz in California and also featured on a website backed by famed actor Forest Whitaker.
“I have always said ‘before any piece is done, I want it to have a large following.’ ‘Complaisant’ has really started to pick up,” said the writer, director, producer and actress.
“Complaisant” is a comparison of Leah, a seemingly happy housewife, and Jennifer, a female escort. This dramatic story tells of their struggles, ironic similarities, and search for above all, love and happiness.
Hightower submitted “Complaisant” to JuntoBox Films, co-chaired by Whitaker, which is a collaborative film studio that funds, produces and distributes films. There, aspiring filmmakers post their projects to the site. Those who garner the most attention from followers will have their film reviewed by the JuntoBox staff.
Hightower said initially “Complaisant” was practically at the bottom of the list above other films, some of which had been on the site for years. In the meantime, she networked with as many people as she could in order to move the project forward.
Her efforts worked because eventually she received word that the California Film Awards had reviewed her screenplay. Although she didn’t receive an award for “Complaisant,” the exposure helped.
Hightower said “Complaisant” moved up JuntoBox Films’ list and is currently ranked No. 3. She has selected her cast, is currently searching for crew-members and is looking for extra funding in order to get “Complaisant” officially developed.
“With or without JuntoBox.com, this is happening,” laughed Hightower.
Hightower is excited to see her project begin to take shape, but has other irons in the fire. Through her company, HighSi Films, Hightower’s screenplay “Waiting for the Moment” was named an official selection for the Beverly Hills Film Fest and another screenplay, “Codependency,” is being reviewed in Canada.
The surprising factor to Hightower’s success is that she accomplished all of this while battling multiple sclerosis, a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system.
Since her youth, Hightower knew she loved acting. She wrote and directed her first play at age 15 and perfected her craft training and performing with Asante Children’s Theatre, Pike Performing Prevention Troupe, Footlite Musicals theater company and the Indiana Repertory Theatre.
“What an inventive young woman she is. She acted here as a kid, but whenever someone mentions her, my ears perk up because she brings so much life to the artistic world,” said Janet Allen, artistic director of the Indiana Repertory Theatre.
After graduating from Pike High School in 2001, she packed her bags and headed to New York, and enrolled in the American Musical and Dramatic Academy to pursue her dream. After a few years living on the East Coast, she decided to further hone her skills in California.
“I told myself I’d only stay for a year. Within two months, I was working in a restaurant and the casting director of soap opera ‘General Hospital’ happened to be sitting at my table. I started doing a recurring role on there for a year,” said Hightower.
After a bad car accident, she moved back to New York and following a bad break up in 2008, began writing “Complaisant.” She wasn’t single long because eventually, Hightower met someone from Germany and decided to move to Europe to live with the person.
She would travel back to Indianapolis to visit her parents often, yet during this time noticed significant changes in her health.
“I noticed for years that I would get numbness in my arms and legs. Then after my accident in California, I thought ‘oh, maybe that’s what it is.’ But I didn’t feel right so I went to see a doctor. They told me I had rheumatoid arthritis. I didn’t believe it,” said Hightower. “I went back to Germany, but then had to come back to Indiana and they told me I had a sprained back. I didn’t believe that either.”
She did research on her symptoms and suspected her ailments were due to multiple sclerosis. Doctors confirmed her suspicions in 2011.
Today Hightower is permanently living in the U.S., has taken the necessary steps to stabilize her multiple sclerosis and is working hard to develop her company and films that primarily champion female power. She’s also created a documentary called “Real Talk MS” to compliment “Complaisant” to motivate others with multiple sclerosis to accomplish their dreams.
“I don’t care what you’re surviving, that doesn’t define you. It might be a part of you now, but it doesn’t define who you are or what you can do,” said Hightower.
For more information or to contribute to her films, email Tiffany Hightower at tjhighto2@yahoo.com or visit JuntoBoxFilms.com.
