The Valley is an eight-episode miniseries that focuses on Free, a 19-year-old Latinx student. Free is a freshman in college who attempts to establish his independence and find self-worth through the most challenging time of his youth. He combats the obstacles in life while being homeless.
MEA professor Bavand Karim is behind the project. He has spent years teaching students how to tell compelling stories, but this time, he’s taking his own lessons to heart.
With heavy inspiration from the FX series Atlanta, the Valley is framed through the lens of economic issues that explore the tribulations of being a low-income undergraduate. Student homelessness has been brought up to 4.1% as of the late year and has marked a return to pre-pandemic levels. Professor Karim believes this is an important story to tell due to the lack of media coverage as of late.
“It’s meant to explore a lot of the values and the issues, modern social issues that students at this school are experiencing. Specifically, you know, how do I balance my life and education in the face of constant economic instability,” said Karim.
The film production company Lost Winds Entertainment, known for producing films such as Eileen and Americana, will produce the show, and the COC media department will make it a hybrid production. Students are welcome to sign up to join the production team to gain early experience in the film industry. The show offers academic and work credit as well as internships. Filming will begin this January 2025.
