Experiencing Interruptions?

The Island of Pete

This is a documentary about Pete. He is a woodworker, an engineer, a teacher, a self proclaimed steward of the plants, and even a music historian. But above all, Pete is an artist. After years of struggling to pursue his dream of building a sustainable life as an artist and craftsman, Pete finds himself with little to show for it but a small apartment filled to the brim with his quirky creations. How long can he and his endless positivity fight to keep the life he loves in the face of a world that refuses to accept him?

  • Duane Bruton
    Director
    No Fun, New York, NY USA, 2023
  • Duane Bruton
    Producer
    No Fun, New York, NY USA, 2023
  • Pete Raho
    Key Cast
    "Pete"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Drama, Comedy, Dramady, short, art, fact
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 51 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 30, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Duane Bruton

Growing up in the Northeast suburbs, my interest in films started in my early years while organizing and cataloging my father’s VHS collection. This fascination turned into a genuine love for movies at 16 when I found a job at Blockbuster Video.

I moved to NYC to study Illustration and Design at the New York School of Visual Arts and immediately cultivated a love for various subcultures and underground scenes.

As a self-taught filmmaker, I approach storytelling from an outsider’s perspective. I am naturally curious, and I use my design and editorial background to envision and build compelling stories that don’t always have answers.

I’m a trained visual artist who approaches filmmaking from that perspective. My movies are about being stuck in transformation, heartbreak, and the absurd cyclical humor and pain in creative’s lives. As a creator, I find the challenge of creating art while being exposed to the world’s harsh realities intriguing.

Films
No Fun, Short Film/Music Video, NYC USA, 2023, 4:16mins
The Island of Pete, Documentary, Brooklyn USA, 2023, 12:30mins

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Director Statement

As a filmmaker and artist, I find the challenge of creating art while being exposed to the world's harsh realities quite intriguing. It’s a bittersweet struggle that comes with risk. I was fascinated with the world Pete had created for himself. Though Pete sometimes wants to escape his island, he’s more often content and isolated by his ideas. It is a comfort zone threaded with fear. The feeling of being closed off from intimacy is something that I can relate to.

I’m an art director by trade and approach filmmaking from that perspective. My movies are about being stuck in transformation, heartbreak, and the absurd cyclical humor and pain in creative’s lives. I’m instantly attracted to the struggle of society’s outcasts.

While this film opens as a profile of an ambitious dreamer, confronting the realities of Pete’s life brings us somewhere more complex and startling; it is a tale of the joys and sadness that come with embracing the risk of failure–and the even-greater risk of not trying.