Still Life
Gareth, a man struggling to reconnect with himself and his son after a significant loss, revisits an old hobby.
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Hannah Rosalie WrightDirector
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Hannah Rosalie WrightWriter
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Hannah Rosalie WrightProducer
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Joe OlsonProducer
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Joel HadKey Cast"Gareth"
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Joseph CulpKey Cast"Connor"
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Debra HadeKey Cast"Liz"
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:17 minutes 9 seconds
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Completion Date:January 13, 2025
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Country of Origin:United States, United States
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Country of Filming:United States, 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
Hannah Rosalie Wright is a writer/director in Des Moines, Iowa. Her short films have screened in festivals around the world, including Newport Beach Film Festival, Midwest Film Festival, Filmapalooza, and Sioux City International Film Festival. Staying creative, connected, and curious in life and art is why she makes movies.
In March of 2024, my mother unexpectedly passed away. In the months that followed, I invited my father to move in with me and my husband. In May, after a sleepless night, I began writing Still Life, at the time a very different script focused more on unrest. I took a few months to revise as pieces of the story came together -- at first about a father/daughter, now about a father/son (distancing my real life, and as a reflection on masculinity), bringing in art-making as a theme and expression of wholeness.
Getting the team together was a small miracle — after writing in the painting aspect, my husband serendipitous met a recently-retired amateur artist, who was eager to be involved in the film and offer not only her art but her consultation. The rest of the cast and crew was a blessing to work with, each bringing their own personal experiences and meaning to the project. Two of our crew members had last-minute obligations that kept them from our last shoot day (4 of 4)— both death-related. We practiced grace and flexibility, and made it through.
I’ve always made films that were in part a way of processing my complicated, disconnected relationship with my mother. Still Life is by no means a definitive expression of my grief, but a snapshot of a fictional experience that belongs to every person involved in the film.