Don't Forget To Remember
an experimental short film by Thomas D. Rotenberg
these last three months has been one of the most mentally taxing creative periods I've ever experienced.
confronting the inner workings of my mind and bringing them to life via abstracted visuals is a process that I've become increasingly comfortable with, but putting myself out into the world has never been an easy task.
over the last three months, we've been preparing to launch a crowdfunding campaign, which went live yesterday.
this short film, which you can read more about over at our seed & spark page, is just the first thread in a larger storyline that will eventually encompass an episodic series, a feature film, and an immersive experience.
let's face it, the world in which we currently find ourselves feels hopeless much of the time. society feels like it's inching closer and closer to a breaking point - political, economic, and social instability is all around, no matter what side of the political spectrum any one individual might align with.
but we have to hope for something better, and we can all play a part in that if we so choose.
that's what this film is really about.
the storyline follows subject zero, a young woman who takes it upon herself to make a last-ditch effort to do whatever she can to cure the world of a fatal form of insomnia that's afflicted every living creature on earth ever since a visitation by an otherworldly force.
mysterious communications guide her every move, helping her navigate an ever-branching path fraught with potential destruction at every turn.
she is us, and we are her. desperate to escape the predicament we've found ourselves mired in, she doesn't know why she's important - just that she is, and she forces this knowledge to galvanize her so that she can walk a path that's hers alone.
I've dealt with depression for about two-thirds of my life, and I know how hard it can be to forge ahead and fight against every ounce of your being telling you that you're not capable and not wanted. but with the right help and the right people by your side, anything is possible, and it's that sense of hope that I want this film to inspire in others.
it's been close to ten years since I last made a traditional narrative film, but I've never stopped honing my skills, and I'm so excited for the opportunity to bring this world and this story to life. part of what excited me about this adventure is the chance to infuse a (relatively) traditional narrative with the abstract visual methodology I've established over the last few years with my video art.
we're just starting to build our team, and one of the cornerstones is josh graham, who will be composing the music.
josh should be familiar to all of you...that could be via his time doing visuals for neurosis, or his primary band a storm of light, or via his side projects battle of mice and red sparowes. his solo exhibition, standard model catastrophes, was the first show I ever curated and we've since stayed in touch, occasionally running into each other at events, and sometimes contributing solo work to different exhibitions.
he's been making ambient electronic music as IIVII for a few years now and I knew that the sounds being created under the moniker would be a perfect fit for the world I'm attempting to conjure.
I couldn't possibly be more excited about having him on board. be sure to check out our incentives...josh has generously agreed to lend his time to consult with a few select backers, so jump on that incentive before it's gone.
but even if you can't afford a fancy incentive, anything that you're able to contribute would mean the world to me. and if you can't contribute anything, please share the project with your friends and help get the word out...that's the most important part.
please help us out and be a part of the world we're bringing to life.
(for contribution purposes only.)
