To Live Forever
Set in Los Angeles, To Live Forever is a modern adaptation of the Greek myth of Sybil the prophetess who sleeps with Apollo in exchange for eternal life. Sybil fails to heed the warnings of her sister Cassandra and the goddess Aphrodite who both do their best to protect her from Apollo’s charms – and her own folly. Eventually she realizes living forever isn’t all she had hoped it would be… but is it too late?
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Jennifer DeanDirector
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Jennifer DeanWriter
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Jennifer DeanProducer
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Roee MessingerProducer
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Luis ReyesProducer
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Eric RiceProducer
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Kalechi NoelDirector of Photography
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Project Type:Short, Student
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Genres:Fantasy, Dark Comedy
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Runtime:14 minutes 22 seconds
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Completion Date:April 27, 2015
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital, RED
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes
Jennifer formed La Vache Enragée Productions, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, where she produced numerous plays and an annual festival of short plays and silent short films accompanied by originally composed live music. She was a runner-up for the London Sundance/Nokia Competition with her short documentary The “Underground” Music Scene of the NYC Subways and is currently working on a feature documentary on female filmmakers, The 2nd Sex and the 7th Art, fiscally sponsored by IFP. Her narrative work includes the short film Fear of Heights, screened as part of the SAG Shorts Showcase and the Katra Film Series, and Through the Valley (now in development as a feature film) which screened at the Orlando Film Festival, the Chain Film Festival and for which she was nominated for Best Director at the Northeast Film Festival. As an actor she has appeared in several theatre productions, independent film, commercials and television shows (Baywatch Hawaii, As the World Turns, One Life to Live and Law & Order: SVU). More information can be found on her website – jenniferdean.biz
I first told the story of Sybil as a one-woman show which I developed a few years after my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She lived for many years with the disease and when initially coping with the symptoms she said to me, “Jennifer, why can’t I just die?” At first the statement struck me as sad but over the years I realized the wisdom of her words. Death is a natural process and despite my fears, it is part of the progression of life. I found the story of Sybil the prophetess – one I hadn’t remembered from my school days studying Greek mythology and decided to tell my story through her. I often find humor is the best way to deal with serious subjects and with it can reach people in a way that tackling a subject head-on sometimes cannot. So that is how To Live Forever was conceived. There is something wonderfully absurd about both the grandiosity of Greek myths and the culture that is Los Angeles and I hope that they both bring something to the story of Sybil and her struggle for eternal life.