Heaven and Nature

Set in the late 1950s, childhood sweethearts are confronted with the realities of their relationship as adults and are forced to acknowledge that situations are not always what they appear to be. They must ask themselves what they are willing to sacrifice to live the American Dream.

Inspired by the melodramas of Douglas Sirk, Heaven And Nature includes LGBTQ characters, themes of class and privilege, and a glaring look at the gaps in our collective memory when we view history through a nostalgic lens.

  • Steven Fierberg
    Director
    Emily in Paris, The Affair, Entourage, The Wheel of Time, In Treatment
  • Brandon Johnston
    Writer
    The People We Hate at the Wedding, American Crime Story, You, Dear White People, The Resident, Girl Meets World
  • Lindsay Chambers
    Writer
    One Day at a Time, Sweet/Vicious, The Mindy Project
  • Brandon Johnston
    Producer
    The People We Hate at the Wedding, American Crime Story, You, Dear White People, The Resident, Girl Meets World
  • Lindsay Chambers
    Producer
    One Day at a Time, Sweet/Vicious, The Mindy Project
  • Lindsay Chambers
    Key Cast
    "Kathleen"
    One Day at a Time, Sweet/Vicious, The Mindy Project
  • Brandon Johnston
    Key Cast
    "Martin"
    The People We Hate at the Wedding, American Crime Story, You, Dear White People, The Resident, Girl Meets World
  • Jenny Cooper
    Key Cast
    "Mrs. Carter"
    Virgin River, Bones, Grey's Anatomy, Scandal
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, LGBTQ, Melodrama, Period Piece
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 48 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 10, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    17,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Santa Fe International Film Festival
    Santa Fe
    United States
    October 19, 2024
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Steven Fierberg

Steven Fierberg is an award-winning director and cinematographer. He has created the look and feel of some of the most successful series in television, including The Affair (Golden Globe Winner, Best Drama,) Emily in Paris (Golden Globe nominee,) Entourage (5x Golden Globe nominee,) and Attila (ASC Award Winner for Outstanding Cinematography.) The NYTimes singled out his directorial episodes of The Affair as the best work of the season. His microbudget feature, How the Light Gets In, is currently on Amazon Prime.

His feature cinematography has ranged from studio movies like Ed Zwick’s Love and Other Drugs featuring Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal, Aspen Extreme, the Entourage movie, to micro-budget indy films such as Alex Cox’s Repo Chick. His favorite work includes Joel Schumacher’s poignant Twelve and Steven Shainberg's provocative Secretary, which won a Special Jury Prize for Originality from the Sundance Festival before 'inspiring' 50 Shades of Grey. He just completed Heather Graham’s Chosen Family.

He shot pilots for Mark Mylod, Bryan Singer, Darren Star, Jason Moore and Sanaa Hamri.

He worked with Baz Luhrmann on additional photography for the transcendent Moulin Rouge! and Sally Potter for Rage. Alex Cox’s existential road movie, Searchers 2.0, premiered at the Venice and AFI film festivals, winning an ovation for the cinematography. The Hollywood Reporter singled out "stunning visuals captured to mesmeric effect by cinematographer Steven Fierberg."

A native of Detroit, Steve escaped to Stanford University as a National Merit Scholar. His senior year was spent in a joint program with Oxford University in England studying British drama and film.

He has been a vice-president of the American Society of Cinematographers and is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures. In between projects, he mentors & teaches guest classes at AFI, NYU, USC, UCLA and the Maine Media Workshops.

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Director Statement

Growing up in Detroit, the life presented to me as a child was ‘Find out what you CAN do and do that with your life.’ You could become a line worker for the auto companies, or if you were brilliant you might even become an engineer. Women were expected to find a man who could support them and raise a family. Years later, when I moved to California, I heard an alternative mantra: ‘Find out what you WANT to do and create a life from your vision.’

The American Dream has been put upon so many, forcing an idea of who we are expected to be and what will make us happy. Our film examines a moment where two young people have to choose between passionate love and the life they are expected to live. There are great aspects of the American Dream, but it can also be a burden - one that can crush you and follow you as a source of anxiety. How has this “dream” affected generations of people whose true stories are hidden by the mask of conformity?

As we move through a period of intense nostalgia for the 1950s, we have to ask ourselves if the past was truly "great," or the catalyst for generations of trauma that resulted in our current fractured society.