After filmmaker Nicole Riegel made her first feature, Hollar in 2020, she noticed that many of her peers and contemporaries were getting opportunities that she was not. She channeled that frustration into her second film, Dandelion, which follows a musician aware of her talent but displeased with where she is in her career. In a last-ditch effort, she heads to North Dakota to participate in a music competition where she meets a fellow musician and reconsiders her life path.
I recently sat down with Riegel to dissect where her inspiration for the film came from and how relatable it is. We also talked about working with leads KiKi Layne and Thomas Doherty and the musical influences she pulled from for the film. Watch the interview below and catch Dandelion in theaters now.
