Filmmaker Mills Cooper penned his first novel, “Generation Curse,” just five years ago.
At the time, the writer was homeless. He had been laid off from his construction job, and his marriage was ending. Living out of his car, depression settled in like a curse.
But instead of letting the depression consume him, Cooper used that depression to tell a riveting story.
Now, things are on a complete turnaround for the Plant City filmmaker.
Cooper is no longer homeless and credits his Christian faith and writing for helping him heal.
Once a therapeutic process, “Generation Curse” has been adapted to a film. Recently, it won the Christian category in an Oakland film festival, and Cooper has entered the film in another festival in Australia.
And he’s not stopping there.
The busy writer has just finished his third script, “High Priest.”
HIGH PRIEST
It took Cooper about three weeks to write his newest project.
The psychological thriller sounds like it could be the next twisted CSI episode. The story follows Jesse, a deranged police officer. His schizophrenia leads him to prey on a woman he met through Facebook. He kidnaps her and convinces her it’s God’s will the two should be married.
“As a writer, it depends what kind of mood I’m in,” Cooper said. “At that time, I was in a dark place.”
Cooper wants to begin filming in August or early September. But first, he has to send his script to his typist in Atlanta. Meanwhile, he will be gathering a technical crew. Once he gets the script back, Cooper will make a casting call.
Some actors from “Generation Curse” will come aboard once again. Cooper expects the shooting to last about seven days. Then, he will begin post-production editing.
“You never know what’s coming,” Cooper said of the storyline. “Every scene is intense. That’s one of my favorite things about it — the intensity.”
Cooper draws inspiration from Stephen King. His first film, “The Delivery,” was a monster-themed action flick.
“Some people might question my sanity,” Cooper said, laughing.
FUTURE PLANS
After finishing “High Priest,” Cooper wants to address a more delicate matter he feels is plaguing women today. The script, “You’re Beautiful,” will focus on plus-sized women and societal pressures they face.
“That’s a real issue here in America,” Cooper said. “And it’s always been an issue, but I think it is more so now. Everyone wants to be small.
“But they should be happy about how God made them,” he said. “People need to hear that message.”
After “You’re Beautiful,” Cooper wants to address two more social issues: bullying and religion in schools.
“I got so many ideas in my head,” Cooper said. “It’s about to explode.”