Experiencing Interruptions?

Juno: The Graveyard Of Memories

Juno is a celestial being who experiences human lives by touching discarded objects that hold memories. As she navigates a mystical garden, touching these items, her isolation deepens, revealing the contrast between the vividness of memories and her own detachment.

  • Tariq Stone
    Director
    BLAAACK?
  • Tariq Stone
    Writer
  • Mehaa Mekala
    Writer
    After All, Murt The Musical, Lil Bonzo's Big Show
  • Marley James
    Writer
    Resentment
  • Mehaa Mekala
    Actor
    After All, Murt The Musical, Lil Bonzo's Big Show
  • Theo Garvey
    First Assistant Director
    Oh Honey, Take Me Away
  • Jooyeon Kang
    Second Assistant Director
  • Emily Hernandez
    Production Designer
  • Gabby Yabut
    Script Supervisor
  • Julian Vargas
    Gaffer
  • Niku Radan
    Hair & Make-Up Artist
  • Micheal Soleta
    Sound Mixer
  • Chloe Garey
    Sound Mixer
  • Cencere Baker
    Stills Photographer
  • Sam Hyatt
    Grip
  • Bryan Avelar
    Grip
  • Cencere Baker
    Grip
  • Gabby Yabut
    Editor
  • Samantha Williams
    Composer
  • Kelly Duong
    Sound Designer & Mixer
  • Steven Zeng
    Colorist
  • Tariq Stone
    Colorist
  • Lewi Thute
    VFX Artist
  • Tariq Stone
    VFX Artist
  • Krishnaa Nair
    Graphics Designer
  • Karina Hammoud
    Transportation
  • Mehaa Mekala
    Transportation
  • Deborah Munk
    Transportation
  • Sam Hyatt
    Editing Consultant
  • Marley James
    Editing Consultant
  • Min Thu Ta
    Editing Consultant
  • Jovann Guevara
    Editing Consultant
  • Dorothy Tiu
    Editing Consultant
  • Emily Hernandez
    Wardrobe Assistant
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama, Fantasy
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 22 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 19, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    Varies
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Recology Artist In Residence
Director Biography - Tariq Stone

Tariq Stone is a filmmaker and photographer, his work explores themes of memory, identity, and the hidden stories embedded within everyday objects. Inspired by his photographer father and the TV shows he grew up watching—particularly Phineas and Ferb and work by Donald Glover—Tariq’s work embraces visual storytelling, blending surrealism with emotional resonance.

He aims to tell stories visually using unconventional camera rigs and vivid, textured lighting. Whether he’s strapping his camera to a shopping cart or bike, or carrying his camera through a lake, Tariq believes the closer his camera is to breaking, the better the shot. He’s been coined by his peers as Tariq “anything for the shot” Stone.

His work challenges us to rethink the significance of the things we discard, considering the emotional weight they carry. By creating surreal environments that juxtapose the ordinary with the extraordinary, he asks viewers to engage with their own relationship to memory and material culture.

Tariq is a current student at CCA graduating in 2025 with a BA in film.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The Garden of Memories was born from my fascination with the hidden stories embedded in the objects we often discard. I was chosen as the student artist in Recology’s Artist In Residence program which allows artists to pull things from the dump to use in their artworks. I was struck by how personal and intimate some of these objects were—old family photos, a grandfather clock commemorating decades of service, and even mundane items like shopping carts—all of which carry the weight of human experience.

With this film, I wanted to explore the idea that objects are more than just things we use and discard. They are witnesses to our lives, absorbing and preserving the fragments of our experiences. Juno, the protagonist, acts as a vessel for this exploration, navigating a world of memories that are not her own, reflecting the emotional resonance of the lives she can never truly touch.

Visually, I wanted to blur the line between the surreal and the ordinary. A lot of the main parts of the film I saw as shots in my head and then wrote the story around those visuals. I strive to contrast the familiar with the strange. This tension mirrors the emotional journey of Juno—caught between her detachment as a celestial being and her deep yearning to feel the warmth of human connection.

It was also a fun challenge because this was my second time ever directing a film, and I was also shooting it, having that level of control over the lighting concepts and visual aesthetic made it way more interesting. We were also on a tight timeline since I was making this film in tandem with a photo series that is loosely connected as apart of the residency. From first draft to final product, the film took 70 days to complete.

At its core, Juno: The Garden of Memories is about how we connect with the things we leave behind, and how even the forgotten can carry immense meaning.