Stomach Of The Earth
In an objective landscape of stretching trees and wild nature deep within the Southeast American woods, Stomach of the Earth focuses on two climate refugees surviving separately, with civilization in the rearview mirror. One a nomadic hunter, trudging her way through miles of nature-reclaimed woods, just looking for the next meal. The other, a settled forager who finds comfort in the past ideals of academia, documenting his every thought as the hopeful record of this time for future generations.
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Filmed entirely in NYC parks with a zero-waste set, Stomach of the Earth is a story about relationships, loneliness, survival, and the shared connection to Earth. Birthed from literature on animal ethics and the Anthropocene, this film assumes the climate catastrophe as a past event, focusing on what happens to humanity when left unguided and desperate, hoisted from our spot at the tippy-top of the food chain. A major goal of this film is to take the things that make us feel superior to animals (ie. art, philosophy, clothing, industry, and language), and cast them into an all-too-real exile.
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Stranded Astronaut Productions, 2020
All Rights Reserved
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Trell MarcanoKey Cast
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Juan-Pablo StewartKey Cast
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Grégoire LabatArt Director/Colorist
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Tehya JennettAssistant Directors
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Ruth GeyeAssistant Directors
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Elis XhafaCinematographer
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Conor CallahanSound Recordists
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Emma MartinsSound Recordists
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Valentina HueckCamera Assistants
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Maryann LonerganCamera Assistants
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Kylie MaloneGaffer
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Evan JacewiczProdcution Assistants
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Ruth GeyeProdcution Assistants
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Valentina HueckProdcution Assistants
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Maryann LonerganProdcution Assistants
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Nicholas LucaccioniProdcution Assistants
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Nicholas LucaccioniBTS/Set Photographer
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Maxfield BiggsDirector
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Maxfield BiggsWriter
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Tehya JennettProducer
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Maxfield BiggsEditor
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Tehya JennettSustainability Advisor
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Project Type:Experimental, Short, Student
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Genres:thriller, clifi, drama
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Runtime:13 minutes 15 seconds
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Completion Date:April 10, 2020
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Production Budget:200 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:192:95
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:Yes - Pratt Institute
Raised in the Silicon Valley yet cutting their teeth in the NYC indie film scene, Maxfield Biggs has been making short films since the age of 9, and is working as a freelance filmmaker through Stranded Astronaut Productions. With a penchant for the absurd, and story ideas based in realist subjects like climate change or anti-capitalism, Max tries to find the gradient between the two forces in their filmmaking.
This short film is an attempt to imagine a time after humankind, with nature allowed to thrive and grow un-poisoned. In an objective landscape of uncaring trees and reclaimed nature, the last few creatures that remember the past will rage against their own mortality to be remembered, and survive.
The idea for this film stemmed from a personal exploration into animal ethics, environmental ethics, and anthropocentrism. In developing this upcoming short, Tsing's "Mushroom At The End Of The World", the films of Bong Joon Ho and Agnes Varda, and "Unbroken Chain" by The Grateful Dead served as artistic inspirations. The biggest influence, however, was my long standing connection to nature and an appreciation of its inhabitants.