When AfterEllen.com asked about the reactions she has been getting from people who hear about her film, Brooks said she is amazed at how open-minded the response has been. “You would think from hearing about the subject matter--a story of a Catholic school teacher who has an affair with her student--would be pretty controversial. But, on the contrary it is a love story that defies all labels.” She adds that even the most conservative people who have read early excerpts of the screenplay have been rooting for the couple to be together.

Brooks is hoping viewers will examine their own prejudice regarding the type of relationship portrayed in her film. “I think sometimes, by human nature, we have a tendency to judge others. In the media there are loads of stories about teachers having affairs with their students. Lots of times the teachers are made out to be villains. In these stories, it's hard not to speculate and form our own opinions, even though we have no idea the circumstance.”

She hopes audience members will leave the theater with open minds and plenty to think about, as well as “a bit more compassion for situations they are not directly involved with.” When asked about her target audience, her reply was “anyone that has struggled with the desire to love someone they are not supposed to love.” As she also explained to Filmmaker magazine, “In my experience, when it comes to love, you can’t dictate what package it comes in.”

Portraying a human connection that defies all labels is what Brooks says was the greatest challenge and most rewarding aspect of making Loving Annabelle. “Teacher-student relationships have always been a hot and controversial topic,” she writes in her director’s note. “In most cases, the media portrays the teacher as a predator. However, the research I did opened up a variety of stories that revealed a deep love between two people that was rarely accepted or explored.”

Brooks pursued her filmmaking dreams at age 17, when she moved from her hometown outside New Orleans to Hollywood. Since then she has directed three seasons of The Osbournes as well as episodes of Newlyweds and The Real World. She has made two short films, Finding Kate and Dear Emily, which will soon be available on a Showtime compilation DVD titled Watching You. She also directed and produced the pilot for the controversial Coming Out (Fox), He’s A Lady (TBS), the upcoming show Town Haul (TLC), and the new season of The Simple Life (Fox) starring Paris Hilton.

In 2002 Brooks directed, co-created, and starred in The Complex, now a Here TV original, which followed the intertwined lives of five single women who live in the same apartment complex--a lesbian Melrose Place, of sorts. It distinguishes itself by being quirky, sexy, down-to-earth and full of attitude. The original webisodes are still available at thecomplex.tv.

Shooting for Annabelle began earlier this month in Los Angeles. Brooks chose to forgo the advantages of digital recording and is shooting with traditional 35-millimeter film in order to give her movie a classic feel. “Loving Annabelle is a classic epic love story that needs the look of 35mm” she says. Look for the film to be released in the spring of 2006.

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