We recently connected with Davar Mcgee and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Davar thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I would say my most meaningful project would be my latest one titled Love Reflected. The movie is centered around a married couple. While the wife is dealing with her husband’s sudden death, a mysterious connection through her grandmother’s mirror emerges. This link allows the husband and wife to communicate between dimensions. As they grapple with grief, their emotional journey leads to attempts to bridge the gap. During a wedding between their friends in their perspective dimensions they confront the peril and promise of reuniting through the mystical mirror, challenging the boundaries between their worlds.

I produced this film in the summer of 2024 and this is my first feature film. Prior to that I produced 4 short films, documentaries, informercials, vendor work/training videos and music videos. The experience I gained from this project was very meaningful for me. I was able to work with a group of talented actors (Allen Maldonado, Renelle Nicole, Rolando Boyce, Gabriella Rodriguez, Joseph “Juice” Sutton, Hannah Graffunder, Peter Ivanov, Eve Black and Ramona Mcgee), some who have been featured in various well known T.V. Shows and Movies. My last short film that I worked on was in 2018, so that 6 year period between saying “action” on a film set felt like forever. The first day of filming Love Reflected, saying “action” alone, felt like I was reunited a loved one.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My journey as a filmmaker began with my love for acting when I was a teenager. In 2009, I acted in my first independent film “The Unattainable”. During the process of acting in front of the camera, I felt intrigued to write my own film. In late 2013, I wrote my first screenplay titled “Trinity High”. From there I found a great passion for writing screenplays and continued writing various plays, features or short films. In 2016 I wrote, produced, and directed my first short film “What A Shame”. In 2017, I wrote, produced, and directed my second short film “Suspect?”. I produced this film with Brian Few Jr and Dennis Harmon Jr. who are also two amazing filmmakers in their own right. Both films were produced with a zero-dollar budget. Suspect has been accepted into 7 different film festivals in the country. We won the Best Short Film Award in the Twin Cities Black Film Festival (Sponsored by HBO) and the Best Shorts Competition Film Festival. I have produced and directed a few other short films, music videos, and documentaries. Since 2018 I have also found success in video production at the commercial/vendor level by assisting various corporations with their training videos, online courses and commercials.

In 2024 I produced my first feature film titled “Love Reflected” that will premiere after the first half of 2025.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2018 I produced a short film trailer from my first script Trinity High. The trailer, which served as the opening scene of the film, was part of a campaign to secure funding for a full-length feature. With high hopes of bringing the project to life by 2019, unexpected challenges arose, delaying production.

Then, in 2020, the pandemic further impacted progress, forcing the project to be put on hold indefinitely. From 2018 to 2024, I remained active by working on various projects—but none involved directing a film that I had written. During this time, doubt crept in, and the dream of directing seemed increasingly out of reach. However, the passion never faded. Despite moments of wanting to give up, the drive to tell stories through film remained unwavering.

That resilience paid off with Love Reflected. In early 2023, I wrote the script, and by 2024, the film was in production. During this endeavor I had the support of my younger brother, Demitri McGee a producer in his own right. He would stop by my house about 2-3 times a week to talk about the film and that helped me stay focused on the task at hand. I also had the help of my cousin Latwanna Williams who is also a producer in her own right. She played a major role in my love for screenwriting by motivating me to write my first feature film which was Trinity High, she was also a producer of the film during the Trinity High campaign, so it was great to share the success of this film on our second endeavor together.
With their support we were able to bring Love Reflected to life and I made my long-awaited return to the director’s chair. Klover Media group was a major help in bringing this film to light and the whole entire film crew was great.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Before the pandemic, I began shifting my video production skills toward vendor work to build my portfolio and generate revenue. By late 2019, I was working with companies to create training videos, online modules, documentaries, interviews, and outreach content.

When the pandemic hit, my business became my lifeline, allowing me to stay afloat during uncertain times. From 2020 to 2024, my company, Big Var Productions, continued to grow. In 2024, I pivoted my career, leaving my nearly 13-year tenure at UnitedHealthCare to become fully self-employed and focus entirely on my business.

Between directing films, I’ve continued collaborating with companies on a variety of multimedia projects. Looking ahead, I aspire to expand into directing commercials and theater productions, pushing my storytelling in new directions.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: davar_mcgee
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/var.mcgee/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davar-mcgee-6aa91295
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@davarmcgee680

Image Credits

Reshawn Jones