Canton resident Leslie Lugosi is using her passion for filmmaking to call attention to a national issue.

The self-taught director and writer has been making short movies for five years with her film company BootyTooth Productions.

Her newest work entitled "Listen" follows a Vietnam War veteran who begins to experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder episodes after an accident several years since his military service.

"It's based on a short story I wrote," Ms. Lugosi said. "My intent was to help people understand PTSD and help those who are suffering from it."

The Atlanta native said she tries to make films that have a positive impact on people and focus on issues important to her.

"My father served in Vietnam, and he was adversely affected by the war," she said. "It's always been a subject very dear to my heart, and it's something we're still experiencing today with soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq."

The movie, which has not yet been publicly released, was filmed entirely in Cherokee County.

With the help of Master Sgt. Gerald Edwards, a Vietnam veteran who served as military advisor for the film, Ms. Lugosi made the backwoods of Canton look like the jungle wilderness of Vietnam.

"We shot it in a month on the weekends," she said. "We had only a small amount of time at 6 a.m. when the light was just right."

Jon H. Costales, a Fayetteville resident, played the lead role. For Costales, who studied acting in college, playing a person with PTSD was a learning experience.

"In a way it was challenging," he said. "Someone who had trauma years before can have emotional scars suppressed for years."

Being a part of the film was a good experience, said Costales.

"Hopefully, people who watch it will become aware of what soldiers with PTSD are facing and realize it's something going on now and should be addressed," he said.

Ms. Lugosi is currently working on setting up screenings of "Listen" with military families.

She also is submitting "Listen" for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

Turning it into a full-length feature film is another goal.

"I'd like it to gain national attention and tour with it in hopes of having a discussion panel to get people talking about (PTSD)," she said.