A former Chelsea resident returned to familiar streets for his latest creative project, turning much of the city into the setting for an independent short film about grief, family and the lasting effects of street violence.

Altavius “Five” Andrews, founder of YIC Productions and Louisiana Five Film, says approximately 90% of his short film CALVIN was filmed in Chelsea. The production used locations throughout the city, including Bellingham Square, Mystic River Overlook Park, Polonia Park, Mary O’Malley State Park, Orion Supermarket on Broadway and several other locations along Broadway.

For Andrews, choosing Chelsea was about more than finding places to put a camera.

Originally from Louisiana, Andrews has lived in Massachusetts for many years and currently resides in Everett. Earlier in his time in the state, he lived in Chelsea from 2010 to 2012 and later worked in the city for nearly four years at the former Wyndham Chelsea, now the DoubleTree by Hilton Boston Logan Airport Chelsea.

Returning to Chelsea as a filmmaker allowed him to use a city he already knew as part of the visual identity of the project.

“I wanted Chelsea to feel like part of the film itself rather than just a backdrop,” Andrews said.

A story about what happens after violence

Andrews describes CALVIN as the story of a young boy struggling with the death of his older brother, Maleek, who is killed as a result of street violence.

But the film is not simply about the violent act itself. Its focus is on the people who remain afterward — particularly the grief and trauma experienced by a child and his family after losing someone they love.

“The bigger message is about the lasting impact violence can have on young people and what happens to the people left behind,” Andrews said.

That perspective puts the emotional aftermath of violence at the center of the story. Rather than ending with the immediate tragedy, CALVIN looks at how a loss can continue to affect a family long afterward.

For Andrews, that message became the foundation of a project that would eventually take about eight months to complete.

From a song to a short film

The idea for CALVIN grew out of another part of Andrews’ creative life: music.

Under his stage name, Five, Andrews released the eight-track Money Spent in 2025. The project includes a song titled “CALVIN,” along with tracks including “Lessons,” “All My Life” and “Thuggin.” The release can be found on Apple Music.

Andrews said a song from the project, produced by Boston producer Vinyl Villain, became one of the most requested tracks from the release.

The conventional next step could have been a music video. Instead, Andrews saw an opportunity to pursue another longtime goal.

Film had also been a dream of his, and CALVIN became a way to combine music and storytelling while exploring a subject he believed could reach an audience beyond the song itself.

What began with music eventually developed into an independent dramatic short film with its own cast, locations and production process.

According to press materials provided to The Chelsea Pulse, the project involved approximately six months of shooting followed by another two months of editing.

Throughout that process, Andrews also brought his audience behind the scenes. He shared parts of the production journey, including auditions, locations, wardrobe, bloopers and other behind-the-scenes material as the movie was being made.

He believes that helped people develop a connection to CALVIN before they ever sat down in a theater to see the finished film.

Chelsea becomes part of the production

Filming took place at a number of recognizable locations around Chelsea.

In addition to Bellingham Square, Andrews identified Mystic River Overlook Park, Polonia Park and Mary O’Malley State Park among the locations used during production.

Other filming locations he provided include 81 Broadway, home of The Beacon, Orion Supermarket at 233 Broadway, 11 Broadway and other spots along the Broadway corridor.

Using locations throughout the city allowed Chelsea to appear across the film rather than serving as the setting for only a single scene.

That was important to Andrews because of his own history here.

He previously lived on Revere Beach Parkway in Chelsea and spent several years working in the city. Although he has since made neighboring Everett his home, filming CALVIN gave him an opportunity to return to a community that played a role in his earlier years in Massachusetts.

The result, he says, is a film in which Chelsea’s streets, parks and commercial areas become part of the environment surrounding Calvin’s story.

Giving Massachusetts creatives another platform

Andrews also used the project as an opportunity to bring together people from different creative backgrounds.

He said the majority of the cast consists of Massachusetts-based musicians, poets, artists and other creatives.

Among those involved, according to Andrews, are published author Ressa Write, painter and sculptor Nyambura, rapper Dae Heat, musicians Vinny Mucho, Flash Lato and Navi, and aspiring screenwriter Siraaj.

Andrews also credited actor and lead photographer Christopher Depina, cinematographer Daniel Vera and actor Mike Jones, saying he could not have made the film without them.

For Andrews, bringing people from different creative disciplines into the same project reflects what he wants YIC Productions to become.

His goal extends beyond making a single film. He wants the production company to provide local creatives with additional opportunities to perform, collaborate and show what they can do.

It is also part of his belief that meaningful filmmaking does not have to begin with Hollywood or a major studio. Independent filmmakers and artists can build projects within their own communities and create opportunities for one another along the way.

From Chelsea locations to a theater premiere

After months of filming and editing, CALVIN premiered Aug. 30, 2026, at the historic Capitol Theatre in Arlington.

Andrews said more than 120 people attended the premiere, an encouraging turnout for a project that had been built independently over the previous eight months.

For him, the response showed that an audience could develop around a locally produced film when people were able to follow the process and become invested in the project before its release.

The premiere, however, was not intended to be the end of CALVIN.

The film is not currently available to watch online. Andrews said he is keeping it exclusive while the team continues arranging screenings and exploring potential distribution opportunities.

He said plans are being developed for a mini CALVIN tour, beginning with another screening in Massachusetts and followed by proposed stops in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia. Andrews also hopes to bring the film back to his home state of Louisiana in late November.

Building beyond CALVIN

While CALVIN gave Andrews an opportunity to expand from music into filmmaking, he sees the project as a beginning rather than a one-time experiment.

His longer-term goal is to continue developing independent films while creating opportunities for Massachusetts artists and other local creatives who may not otherwise have an obvious path into filmmaking.

For Chelsea, the project also provides a different look at familiar surroundings.

Parks, Broadway locations and recognizable parts of the city became pieces of a fictional story centered on a young boy trying to understand loss and live with grief.

And for Andrews, making CALVIN meant returning to a place that was once part of his own story — this time not simply as a resident or employee, but as a filmmaker using Chelsea to help tell a new one.