In “Tying Knots”, bliss-blind newlyweds return from their honeymoon to find that reality is not quite as romantic! Eric carries Sheila over the threshold of their new home, straight into a slew of hilarious arguments and games to win the tug-of-war that is tying the knot.
Inspired by the nostalgic romcom sitcoms of the 90s (think Martin and Living Single) and influenced by more modern mockumentary style shows (The Bernie Mac Show and Abbott Elementary), Tying Knots fuses traditional situational comedy with BTS character confessionals. The short was filmed in Austin, Texas and features the hilarious newcomer Brandon Goss (Houston, TX) and popular influencer and comedic actress Christal Luster (Los Angeles).
The majority of the Tying Knots crew are repeat offenders, having worked tirelessly on the award-winning dramatic short “If They Took Us Back”. The group decided to follow director Holly Charles-Pearson and take the leap from drama to comedy, incorporating the single-camera model, beautiful cinematography and purposeful writing. The result is a warm and witty comedy that exposes the hilarious truth about life after the altar.
D
irector Statement:
“Storytelling, especially by way of film, builds empathy and allows us to see ourselves and others. For years, I have written and directed dramatic performances in order to impact humanity. Now, my goal is to tackle comedy and create another useful pathway to palatable, purposeful content. We can learn AND laugh, grow AND giggle with characters who depict the levity of life.” – Holly Charles-Pearson
Biography
Writer and director Holly Charles-Pearson is exceptionally skilled in creating culturally relevant content to engage and inform audiences. The self-proclaimed literary activist spent more than a decade in education where she taught English/Language Arts and Creative Writing, and created coursework such as Harlem Renaissance & African American Literature and the African American Experience Through Theater (University of Houston). Charles-Pearson graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelors in Telecommunication, concentrating in production and writing and minoring in African American Studies. She later received her English Masters from Prairie View A&M University and turned her Masters thesis into her first book, Velvet, concerning the plight of the African American woman. Velvet led to multiple literary talks, panel discussions and a TEDx Talk (Being My Mothers Daughter, 2019).
In 2018, Charles-Pearson founded the nonprofit theater company Houston Play On Purpose, where she writes, produces and directs stage productions focusing on social justice and amplifying the voices of the underserved. Past productions include 2017's In All Thy Getting: The Forgotten Story of Freedmen’s Town, a stage play celebrating the triumphant rise of an ex-slave settlement in Fourth Ward Houston, 2018's I’m Still a Woman, an episodic stage play aimed at raising awareness concerning the growing, yet taboo issue of infertility in women of color and 2019's groundbreaking Black, White & Sunshine, which shed light on the disproportionality of children of color being swept into both the juvenile justice and child welfare systems.
As with her stage plays, Charles-Pearson is always careful to incorporate historic research and activism throughout her work, which was displayed in her film directorial debut, the provocative think-piece and alternate history drama short If They Took Us Back, for which Charles-Pearson won Best Director (BIFA Film Festival), Best Picture (Hip Hop Film Festival), Best Texas Narrarive Short & Virtual People's Choice (Denton Film Festival), Best Male Performance (Queen City Film Festival) and was nominated for a 2025 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Short Form Live Action.
In her latest film project, the romantic comedy short Tying Knots, Charles-Pearson makes a sharp pivot toward traditional sitcom humor, embedding sarcasm, wit and pop culture while still tackling social issues.
Director Statement