Experiencing Interruptions?

All-American Ruins: Universal Atlas Cement Plant

Follow multidisciplinary artist Blake Pfeil as he recounts the bittersweet end of a relationship while exploring the abandoned Universal Atlas Cement Plant that overlooks the banks of the Hudson River.

HUDSY Original All-American Ruins: Universal Atlas Cement Plant explores the healing power of human forgiveness through fantastical, queer storytelling. Using personal journals about his experiences exploring modern ruins, Blake shines a light on the cultural, historical, and spiritual underbelly of America.

This is the third installment of the HUDSY Original Anthology All-American Ruins.

  • Angel Gates Fonseca
    Director
  • Blake Pfeil
    Writer
  • Laura Kandel
    Producer
  • Natasha Scully
    Producer
  • Blake Pfeil
    Producer
  • Angel Gates Fonseca
    Producer
  • Aja Schmeltz
    Producer
  • Jeremiah Wenutu
    Key Cast
    "Eric"
  • Blake Pfeil
    Key Cast
    "Blake"
  • Caitlyn Classey
    Key Cast
    "Waitress"
  • Lex Catania
    Production Manager
  • Hanna Lindgren
    Music
  • Eden Avery
    Music
  • By Lotus
    Music
  • Lama House
    Music
  • Natasha Scully
    Editors
  • Christopher Greffrath
    Editors
  • OT Montero
    Camera Operators
  • Caleb Wyatt
    Camera Operators
  • Christopher Greffrath
    Sound Editor and Colorist
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short, Web / New Media, Other
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 1, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Lexington Film Festival
    Hunter, NY
    United States
    June 22, 2025
    East Coast Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Virginia Queer Film Festival
    Norfolk, VA
    United States
    September 12, 2025
    Mid-Atlantic Premiere
    Winner, Best Experimental Short
  • Sydney Web Fest
    Sydney, Australia
    Australia
    October 4, 2025
    Australian Premiere
    Winner, Michael Ajakwe Award for Innovation; Nominee, Best Documentary Short
  • Poulsbo Film Festival
    Poulsbo, WA
    United States
    October 12, 2025
    Northwest Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Arlington International Film Festival
    Arlington, MA
    United States
    October 26, 2025
    New England Premiere
    Official Selection
  • NZ Web Fest
    Auckland
    New Zealand
    November 7, 2025
    New Zealand Premiere
    Winner, Best Documentary Short
  • YoFiFest: Yonkers Film Festival
    Yonkers, NY
    United States
    November 16, 2025
    Yonkers Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Garden State Film Festival
    Asbury Park, NJ
    United States
    March 28, 2026
    NJ Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Albany Film Festival
    Albany, NY
    United States
    March 28, 2026
    Capital Region Premiere
    Winner, Best Experimental Short Film + Best Short, Audience Choice
  • Monologues and Poetry International Film Festival
    Vallejo, CA
    United States
    April 17, 2026
    California Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Cayuga Film Festival
    Auburn, NY
    United States
    April 18, 2026
    Western NY Premiere
    Winner, Best Experimental Short Film
  • WORLDTHREADING Festival
    Copenhagen
    Denmark
    May 15, 2026
    European Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Lovesick Film Festival
    Jersey City, NJ
    United States
    June 24, 2026
    Official Selection
  • Something Like a Film Festival
    Kathmandu
    Nepal
    June 28, 2026
    Asia Premiere
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • HUDSY
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights, Free TV
Director Biography - Angel Gates Fonseca

Angel Gates Fonseca was born and raised in the South Bronx before relocating to the Hudson Valley in 2016. He initially pursued a career in the music industry, but his passion for film ultimately led to his role as Co-Founder and Executive Director of Production & Development of HUDSY. Growing up in New York City, Angel was immersed in the diverse cultural tapestry of the boroughs equipping him with the ability to collaborate seamlessly with individuals from many backgrounds. As an award-winning filmmaker, Angel possesses a deep expertise in a comprehensive range of services, including cinematography, producing, editing, and directing.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

As a kid, I spent hours at an abandoned dairy farm near my childhood home. The place looked like it had been raptured, and I experienced a curious feeling, referred to as "anemoia" — nostalgia for a time that isn't one's own — in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. This strange sensation brought me serenity, though in recent years, I've accepted that it was likely an overactive imagination. Nevertheless, the private sanctuary of the abandoned dairy farm shielded me from a sometimes grim reality and taught me that my imagination can be more than a place of wonderment; it can also be a place of healing.

The practice of exploring abandoned spaces once again saved my life during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, out of which All-American Ruins, a multimedia travelog, was born. The short film series, produced in partnership with HUDSY, allowed me to cinematically explore both the critical questions I'd been asking myself about the underbelly of America while also looking inward and asking similarly critical questions about my own journey with mental illness and addiction. This particular short film, set at the abandoned Universal Atlas Cement Plant, takes note of that suspension of disbelief that was the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, observing the grace that we had to allot ourselves for making certain decisions to help keep our sanity and spirits intact.

Part documentary, part personal journal, All-American Ruins: Universal Atlas Cement Plant is an offering of gratitude to past lovers, particularly those ones who helped us see in ourselves the things we couldn't see alone. Though break-ups are never easy, sometimes abandoning relationships that aren't working-- just like buildings that are no longer needed-- is necessary for our survival.

I hope you enjoy the film, and as always, indelible thanks to my guide, Angel Gates Fonseca, for helping me bring my vision to the big screen.

- Blake Pfeil, Creator, All-American Ruins
May 2025