Tell the Dear Fathers community about who you are and what you do?
My name is Elijah J. Fields. I’m from Jersey and grew up playing football my whole life. I love to write stories, and I love watching movies that are creatively different from what you see all the time. I’m an actor, writer, and director pursuing this as my career and fully invested in it.
What inspired the film Beneath the Mind?
What inspired Beneath the Mind was when I was a college freshman in 2014. I remember, for my screenwriting class, our professor gave us a whole semester to write a script. I remember coming up with a boxing story called Goldenabout a boxer named James. This film was more about the boxer’s record, him fighting in the ring, and press conferences. It was your typical boxing film.
Fast forward to 2026, I came back to the story but changed it completely. I ended up changing it to Golden Boy, and I remember a friend of mine told me there are a lot of films called Golden Boy, and many people might think it’s one of those movies. So that’s when I changed it to Beneath the Mind, because it’s not about a fighter fighting in the ring, but about what goes on in a boxer’s mind who has unresolved trauma that he hasn’t healed from.
How does Tyrone’s relationship with his dad impact the man and boxer he became?
Tyrone saw his father as Superman. In a lot of films, we see Black fathers portrayed as absent fathers or fathers who are part of the streets, but Tyrone’s father was a present father. He was a hardworking man who loved his family and would do anything to protect his son.
Tyrone witnessed his father being killed when he was eight years old, and as a boxer, he never healed from what happened that day. Losing his father caused trauma that he still suffers from as an adult, and it’s all in his mind.
How did your relationship with your dad impact the man you are today?
My father is my hero and will always be my hero. I’m grateful because he is a present father. My father married my mother on September 5, 1987, which is also his birthday. They will celebrate 39 years of marriage this September.
That’s what I look up to. My father married his best friend, and growing up, I saw how he treated my mother with respect, love, and loyalty. It made me believe in love and marriage, and I want to be married to my future wife for that many years and beyond. That’s why he is my hero.
As men, how important is it for us to address and heal our fatherhood wounds?
It’s very important for us to address and heal fatherhood wounds because it’s not just a one-time thing, but something that can become a generational cycle. There is a difference when a child is raised by a father who truly wants to be there, and I believe before any man gets into a relationship or even thinks about having children, he should heal from what he hasn’t addressed in his life. Because if you don’t address it, then it becomes part of your partner’s life and your children’s lives.
I’m not a father. One day I want to be, but I know there are things in my life I need to take care of first before I can let anyone else in and start a family.
What are the top three takeaways you want people to get from this film?
I want people to see what unresolved trauma does when someone doesn’t address it and how it can change a person. I want people who suffer from survivor’s guilt to know that it’s not their fault, and I want people to know that it’s okay to ask for help when you truly need it.
I also hope this film will inspire people to be creative and to never stop going after their dreams.
Who is Elijah as a Father?
I’m not a father, but this is to the future father me:
Dear Elijah, thank you for being a present father. A father who teaches his children that it’s okay to cry and show your emotions. It’s okay to speak up for yourself and express yourself. It’s okay to dream big and follow what you’re passionate about. Be patient in finding the one you truly love. Be mindful of people you don’t know. Learn to listen when you are having conversations with people, and know that I love you very much.
How do you personally balance your mental health while working on this film?
Making sure I get enough sleep so I can wake up in the morning and work on the things that need to be done. Hopefully, we start filming, and if we do, I know I will have a professional crew that will help take some of the mental load off of me because I’m the writer, director, and lead actor.
I know I can’t do everything by myself, and I’m building a team of people I trust to help me.
How can people support the film?
Right now, we are in the crowdfunding phase, and I have less than two weeks left. We are currently raising toward our $20,000 goal. Any amount you pledge can help us get closer to filming the short film, but if you can’t pledge, that is okay. We would love it if you followed the campaign or even shared it.
I just want people who believe in my vision because this is something I am passionate about, and we plan to submit the film to the Tribeca Festival and other film festivals.
If you want to support, this is the link to the campaign:
https://seedandspark.com/fund/
What’s next for you and how can people follow your journey?
What’s next for me is, after making this short film, I’m going to continue making more films because I want to create stories that are different and that I’m passionate about.
If people want to follow my journey, they can follow me on Instagram at @Efresh5. If they want to follow the journey of the film, if we can get it financed through Seed&Spark, we will continue sharing updates on how the film is going, where we are in the filmmaking process, and everything along the way.
You can follow the film’s Instagram page at @beneath_the_mind_.
