Meet Miles Naasir Reuben | Film Director & Screenwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Miles Naasir Reuben and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Miles Naasir, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I’m genuine, and I believe that’s what drives my success. I don’t strive to be anything or anyone else but Miles Naasir. While being a filmmaker can test you in many ways, I have always ensured I stay genuine to myself and my goals. I think what commonly separates many people in terms of success boils down to the type of person they are. While I always hold kindness and respect for folks I come into contact with, whether in work or passing, I don’t wear a face that changes depending on whom I talk to. I don’t create films based on what others want me to say. I speak from my heart and mind, and I’m not afraid to show people pieces of myself that are beautiful and uplifting while also being complex and heavy. When you strive to be just yourself, people feel it. People attach themselves to it, for better or worse. Good people raised me, I have a great support group, so I strive to be a good person. I think people feel great and have uplifting energy from me, which is who I am.
Being authentic and genuine is also a part of my studio’s branding. We strive to find authentic stories from various people from different walks of life.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Of all my film peers and collaborators, I would say that I have a highly untraditional career trajectory compared to most of them. I never left Detroit in search of more film opportunities. I have self-financed and self-marketed all of my movies without significant backing and received international acclaim for those movies. I just got my first fellowship (which I’m excited about), and I’m not a part of any significant union connected to my industry yet. I think for people, and even myself, there is a shock behind this because we have all been told that there is one particular way to enter and grow success in this industry, a stereotype that my success has defied since I started making films. I am a Gay, Black Detroiter creating and producing films that span various genres (drama and sci-fi are my current main focus), and with that, caring to develop these films from aspects of my soul rather than the typical Hollywood system we are accustomed to.
That isn’t to say that my career hasn’t been without challenges and hardship, but there is always a reward connected with each hardship. I never had over $2,000 to make a film, so in every movie I have ever done, I had to sacrifice a component of it to create it, but the reward of that is learning how to make quality films that look like you had a bunch of money, and learning how to do so ethically without compromising morals and fair business practices. This is the most visible example of the yin and yang of my career. I never wanted to wait for the industry to create my visions, so I still exist as a student of the game of cinema to know how to build my films. I will always be that.
I am a cinema artist first; my canvas is the screen, my paintbrush is the camera, my paint colors are the script, and my installation is the theater it shows at.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Thinking about this question locally – I’m a real-life Detroit City Boy, so here’s my agenda:

Monday:
– Rest and relax for the majority of the day
– Catch a late lunch or dinner with drinks at Alma Kitchen (being that most places aren’t open on Monday)
– Sleep

Tuesday:
City/Art Exploration
– Hit the DIA for some morning treats and walk through the most recent exhibition
– Check out the art all over Eastern Market
– Possible second museum trip: Charles H Wright or MOCAD (depends on what’s showing)
– Lunch – someplace local like Saffron DeTwah or the classic Potato Place.
– Small rest until later
– Late-night bar hang-out somewhere like Woodbridge, Sugar House, or Good Times on Livernois

Wednesday:
– Rest all day, pretty much
– Early dinner at Eatori Market, Ottava Via, or La Jailscience
– My usual Wednesday routine: Wine at La Feria with friends
– SpotLite after

Thursday – Sunday:
I go with the flow on those days because you never know what Detroit is up to. It may be a whole weekend of events or may just be relaxed. Usually, on those days, I go to various art events, such as film screenings and opening events for exhibitions, or I hang out with my friends. Maybe go to a concert orat SpotLite, UFO Factory, a local DJ set or Menjos/Soho.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shout out the once-in-a-lifetime filmmaker John Singleton. My father introduced me to his films when I was young, and he is one of the directors who has had a lasting impact on me while also being the only film “idol” of mine I had the opportunity to have deep conversations with. Two years before his passing, FX was hosting a screening of the TV show Snowfall, which was brand new then.
With one of my friends, we got our screening tickets at the last minute and ended up going to watch the first two episodes at the Emagine in Royal Oak with other local Detroiters, the cast of Snowfall, and John Singleton himself. I was about 17 at the time and was about to start my first year as a Film Major at Wayne State, so I was excited to find a way to meet John.
They had a Q&A panel, and John allowed me to ask the last question over the allotted time. I asked him about the difference in his creative process when building a television show versus a movie, and he gave me a deep and insightful answer. After the Q&A, they were taking pictures on the red carpet, but he saw me in the corner as I was shying away behind the paparazzi. He came over to my friend and me and talked to us for about 20 minutes. He asked us what we were studying, and we told him we were going to college for film. He asked us about our lives and processes and reminded us to keep going and not get caught up in the industry drama. It was incredible to have someone you have always been inspired by come up to you in the middle of a press run and just speak to you, person to person. He wasn’t caught up by the paparazzi taking pictures, even with the team telling him it was time to go. All he wanted to do at that moment was share knowledge, love, and words of affirmation to keep going. After he left, that’s when I knew this would be the thing I do forever.

Website: https://www.milesnreuben.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milesthedirector

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@filmtoystudios

Image Credits
SCREENSHOTS FROM “Merlot” (2024)
Directed and Written by Miles Naasir Reuben
Starring Ju’Won Harris, Taurean Hogan, and Danté Jones

Screenshots from “NILE” (2020
Directed by Miles Naasir Reuben
Vast Cast

Screenshots from “When I Go Home” (2022)
Directed and Written by Miles Naasir Reuben
Starring Kayla Von & Brian Marable

Screenshots from upcoming productions “Codename: Daywalker” and “Codename: Samurai”
Directed and Written by Miles Naasir Reuben