Private Project

An Extraordinary Year

At his ex's New Year's Eve party, Jerald makes a new resolution.

  • Gary Lundgren
    Director
    Calvin Marshall, Redwood Highway, Phoenix OR
  • Gary Lundgren
    Writer
    Calvin Marshall, Redwood Highway, Phoenix OR
  • Megan Parlen
    Producer
    Food: Fact or Fiction?, Through the Wormhole
  • Christopher Lucas
    Producer
    Raising Aniya, Shoulders Deep, Above All Else, Shouting Down Midnight, The Sensitives, Living Spring
  • Barret O'Brien
    Key Cast
    "Jerald"
    The Long Long Night, Above the Trees
  • Chris Butler
    Key Cast
    "Dr. Ross"
    Above the Trees
  • Amirah David
    Key Cast
    "Aubrey"
  • Marlyn Mason
    Key Cast
    "Dr. Albright"
    Above the Trees
  • Madison Ryan
    Production Designer
  • Aedan Higgins
    Cinematographer
  • Adam Burkett
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Drama
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    September 4, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    12,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    6K Digital Raw
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • McMinnville Short Film Festival
    McMinnville
    United States
    February 27, 2026
    World Premiere
Director Biography - Gary Lundgren

In 2005, Gary's first 35mm short film Wow and Flutter screened at more than forty film festivals world-wide, including Austin, AFI, Hamptons, Flickerfest and Gen Art in NYC.

The success of the short led to a feature film production — his award-winning baseball comedy Calvin Marshall (2010) starring Steve Zahn. He followed this with the tender drama Redwood Highway (2013) starring film legends Shirley Knight and Tom Skerritt.

Gary’s feature Phoenix, Oregon (2020) is a mid-life crisis comedy starring James Le Gros, Jesse Borrego and Lisa Edelstein. Variety called it “the sort of movie a lot of us need right now.” Joma Films shared online profits with shuttered movie theaters and film festivals after its 2020 theatrical release was canceled by the Covid-19 pandemic, making it the number one movie in America for three weeks.

Gary’s latest Above the Trees (2025) enjoyed numerous festival screenings and theatrical engagements. Oregon ArtsWatch called it “part character study, part courtroom drama with just a hint of metaphysical sparkle.” And Willamette Week wrote, “…Lundgren depicts the steamrolling momentum of the legal system and shines an even brighter light on the fragile human lives held in its sway.”

In his forthcoming guide book Films for Spiritual Inspiration, Timothy Conway PhD. called Above the Trees “a nuanced work of subtle yet deeply touching power.” A collector's edition BluRay and digital streaming is now available exclusively @ Joma.Film

PELICAN, Gary's sixth feature, is currently in post. The story follows two friends who spend a weekend with their therapist, hoping to find healing in the wild beauty of the Oregon Coast where they once thrived. The film stars Bernie White, Dana Millican, Kristina Haddad and Barret O'Brien.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

In the winter of 2024, several faculty friends who teach Digital Cinema at Southern Oregon University reached out to see if I would write and direct a short film with their students as my crew.

The production would happen over ten weeks during the spring quarter of 2025. The fact that Megan Parlen and Christopher Lucas would be producing made the decision easy, as they are both kind and experienced producers. The very day I agreed, I happened to be scribbling out my list of New Year's resolutions and goals for 2025.

I do unabashedly love New Year's - the parties, New Year's Day, the resolutions, the superstitions, Auld Lang Syne, the food we eat for prosperity - all of it. It's my favorite holiday, because it's uncomplicated and almost universal. It simply offers people a clean slate and fresh start.

So, I immediately found myself drawn to making a film about resolutions - a story around all those things we do to help ensure our future success and happiness. The idea made me laugh out loud - just the sheer optimism we somehow conjure up at the beginning of a new year, well before the wheels inevitably fall off in April. Studies say only 10 percent of us follow through and achieve their resolutions, so I felt like it had to be a comedy - or maybe a tragedy? Perhaps a little of both.

Something I love about art making, is that often artists make more interesting work when they move a little faster and don't overthink the process too much. I've found this in my own work and have witnessed this in the oeuvres of other filmmakers.

In our case, I knew we had to work very fast -- just a few months to prep and produce a short film and oversee post-production with a crew of film students. It felt exciting, because there was no time to dawdle.

I am so proud of this movie because it is the handiwork of a young, but creative and collaborative crew. It stars some of my favorite actors and it forces us to reconsider what we want to accomplish in life and why. Also, if we'll dare say it out loud.

Now that the dust has settled, it turns out we made a film that I'd like to dedicate to all those misfit artists working on the margins. For everyone like Jerald or Émile who work in obscurity, with little fanfare or compensation. Artists who walk to the beat of their own drums, managing to develop their unique craft and create their art outside the status quo.