Experiencing Interruptions?

Swannanoa

In the wake of a global pandemic, a man flees New York City and lands in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, seeking safety and reprieve, only to discover a new life.

  • Cory Benjamin
    Director
  • Cory Benjamin
    Writer
  • Cory Benjamin
    Producer
  • Cory Benjamin
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    23 minutes 58 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 1, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Cory Benjamin

Cory Benjamin received his undergraduate degree in acting from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music prior to focusing on independent, original work while living in Los Angeles, New York, and North Carolina, ultimately establishing his own company, Otec Films. He is directly involved with and often drives various aspects of his storytelling, including writing, directing, cinematography, video editing, sound editing and mixing, and music. Cory also holds a master's degree in business law from Cornell Law School, which he earned during the pandemic.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This is a piece about my personal experience after leaving New York City in summer 2020. I bought a car in Idaho about a month prior and drove it cross country to Brooklyn where I packed everything I could fit in it. Everything else went to storage. I had no idea where I was going in the long run, what I was going to do, if I would be able to keep my job, or how I would emerge.

In the moment, I simply wanted safety.

In a world where breathing was a death sentence for millions, I ultimately found an abundance of fresh air on an acre of land in Swannanoa, a small valley outside of Asheville, North Carolina and in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Swannanoa offered protection, slow living, stillness, and peace. The experience helped me begin to process what I was living through, to discover a new way of life and to reconnect with myself. "Swannanoa" is my story--a story of resetting, discovery, and persistence in a rare chapter of global history.