Elegy for Unfinished Lives
A ghost poem film. Directed, written, filmed, edited, read, and produced by Adam E. Stone. Ghost woman paintings by Saribenne Evesong (1931-2009). Download HD version from Vimeo link. Available as an Apple Pro Res 422 (1.55 GB) version upon request. Use "CC" button on Vimeo player for closed captions, via Web VTT file. Text of poem:
As if I were more than a ghost, she loved me
because I took the time to listen
Among the weeds, below the trestle
alive ... alive ... in the animal instant
Then .. she was quiet ... lost again
I sat with her shade, at the edge of the river
watched her cast her shreddings into its flow
I wondered if they even tried to know her
fathom the ink spots staining her hands
She lived a glorious life in those letters
Awkward ... perhaps ... but understood
Destined, she was certain, to be remembered
Not thrown alone into an unmarked grave
"Does a love that was never alive ever die?"
She riddles me, over infinite waves
Her laughter shakes the birds from their trees
Her skeletal shoulders slip through my hands
Tell me what it means to be human ...
pushed down by a wind, pulled under by a sea?
We're less and less with every breath
and yet we live to outlive the rest
Copyright 2020 by Adam E. Stone
All rights reserved.
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Adam E. StoneDirector
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Adam E. StoneWriter
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Adam E. StoneProducer
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Adam E. StoneKey Cast"Narrator/reader"
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Saribenne EvesongOriginal Paintings
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Adam E. StoneCinematographer
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Adam E. StoneEditor
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Project Type:Experimental, Short
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Genres:Poem film, Video Poem, Poetry film, Experimental, Micro-short, 2-minute film, short, art film, arthouse
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Runtime:2 minutes
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Completion Date:January 1, 2020
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:Japan, Taiwan, United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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FilmArte FestivalMadrid
Spain
June 5, 2020
Semi-Finalist -
Twin Rivers Media Festival Experimental CompetitionAsheville, North Carolina
United States
March 28, 2020
World Premiere
Official Selection -
Extremely Shorts Film FestivalHouston, Texas (online, limited access)
United States
May 15, 2020
Texas Premiere
Official Selection -
Onirica Film FestivalLa Spezia
Italy
September 26, 2020
Italian Premiere
Official Selection -
MicroMania Film FestivalBuffalo, New York (online, limited access)
United States
July 25, 2020
Official Selection -
9th Athens International Digital Film FestivalAthens
Greece
October 3, 2020
Greek Premiere
Official Selection -
Wales International Film FestivalSwansea, Wales
United Kingdom
September 18, 2020
United Kingdom Premiere
Official Selection and Award Finalist (Illustrated Poem) -
KinoDrome: International Motion Picture and Screenplay FestivalCleveland, Ohio (online, limited access)
United States
September 26, 2020
Ohio Selection Premiere
Official Selection and "Poetry-Driven Motion Media" category Winner -
SeeMor Short Film FestivalAnglesey, Wales
United Kingdom
October 17, 2020
Anglesey Premiere
Official Selection and "Artists Film" Award Winner -
Delirium, Dreams, & NightmaresSouthsea, England
United Kingdom
October 31, 2020
United Kingdom Halloween Virtual Screening Premiere
Official Selection and Award Finalist -
Fotogenia Film Poetry and Divergent Narratives FestivalMexico City (online, limited access)
Mexico
November 14, 2020
Official Selection -
Avalonia VOrmond Beach, Florida
United States
November 7, 2020
United States Live Screening Premiere
Official Selection and "Best Fantasy 180" Award Winner -
REELpoetry 2021Houston, Texas (online, limited access)
United States
February 25, 2021
Official Selection -
Logcinema Art FilmsPomona, California
United States
December 18, 2020
Official Selection -
Shawna Shea Memorial Film FestivalSturbridge, Massachusetts
United States
September 25, 2021
Massachusetts Premiere
Official Selection -
Carmarthen Bay Film Festival 2021Llanelli, Wales (online, limited access)
United Kingdom
May 17, 2021
Official Selection -
Qosm Film Festival 2021Reston, Virginia (online, limited access)
United States
June 19, 2021
Official Selection -
Walthamstow International Film Festival 2021London, England
United Kingdom
July 10, 2021
London Premiere
Official Selection -
MalatestaShort Film FestivalCesena, Italy
Italy
November 12, 2021
Cesena Premiere
Official Selection -
Haunted Garage's Horror Fest 2021St. Louis, Missouri
United States
October 23, 2021
Missouri Premiere
Official Selection -
Canted Angle Film FestivalHarrison, Arkansas (online, limited access)
United States
January 7, 2022
Arkansas Premiere
Official Selection -
Festival AngaelicaPasadena, California (online, limited access)
United States
December 21, 2021
Official Selection -
Trenton Film FestivalTrenton, New Jersey
United States
August 28, 2022
New Jersey Premiere
Official Selection -
12th International HALF FestivalPalakkad, Kerala
India
September 10, 2022
Indian Premiere
Official Selection
Adam E. Stone's latest feature film is the poetic essay film "Atmospheric Marginalia" (2022). His films have been featured at over 200 prominent, well-curated festivals worldwide, and have won numerous awards. Short films (poem, essay, or nonverbal) include "Dream Sequence: Stasis" (2025), "Bridge" (2024), "form" (2024), "as the night" (2023), "Tyranny of the Unafflicted" (2023), "If Any" (2021), "Awake" (2021), "Specks and Flashes" (2020), "Elegy for Unfinished Lives" (2020), "an entombing(dis)entombing" (2020), "Declarations" (2019), and "Gods Die Too" (2018). Previous short dance films include "Do Not Forget the Lost" (2019), "Summer Friend: A Ballet Film" (2016), "Resting Places: A Ballet Film" (2015), and "Janet: A Silent Ballet Film" (2014). He also is the writer, producer, and co-director of the feature-length fictional essay film "Abstractly You Loved Me" (2013), and is one of the co-producers of, and conducted many of the interviews for, the feature-length documentary "Black Hawk Down: The Untold Story" (DVD 2019). In 2012, Stone wrote and produced the spoken-word ballet "A Life Unhappening," which is about the impact of one woman's Alzheimer's disease on three generations of her family. In 2010, he wrote, directed, and produced the DVD novel "Cache Girl Saves the World: A Novel in Visions." He is also the author of three conventional print novels: "Xamon Song" (2006), "Kingston Fugue" (2007), and "The New Harmonies" (2009).