Private Project

The Last Time Your Name is Spoken (Short Film)

The primordial spirit, Sophia, embodies a suffering, middle-aged artist, forging determination to break the cycle of oppression hemmed into their very existence.

In a collision of mighty forces, The Last Time Your Name is Spoken spans recent millennia revealing a dark and lyrical allegory of erasure, abuse, survival, and redemption that encourages the eradication of tyranny in all its forms.

Persons with disabilities were integral to the making of this film.
*This film contains depictions of violence, self-harm, or trauma.

  • Amanda B Matthews
    Director
  • Amanda B Matthews
    Writer
  • Amanda B Matthews
    Producer
  • Jon Huffman
    Key Cast
    "King"
    Fled (Feature Film), Days of Our Lives (TV Series Regular), Asylum (Feature Film), The Tempest (TV Movie), Legacy (TV Series), Designing Women (TV Series Recurring Character), General Hospital (TV Series Recurring Character) , Murder She Wrote (TV Series), Quantum Leap (TV Series), Among Many Other Credits in Film and as a successful Stage Actor
  • Amanda B Matthews
    Key Cast
    "Artist/Sophia"
    Dreamers and Doers: Voices of Kentucky Women (Documentary)
  • Amanda B Matthews
    Narration and Featured Vocals for "Oh Death" Adaptation
    Narration for The Girl Puzzle Public Monument in NYC, Narration for The KY COVID Memorial at KY Capitol, Dreamers and Doers Documentary
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Short, Feminist, Art, Narrative, Drama, LGBTQ+, experimental
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 59 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 5, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    6,900 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4k, 24 fps
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Best Artist Film (Short)
    Berlin
    Germany
    Private Screening for Awards Only
    Award
Director Biography - Amanda B Matthews

Amanda Matthews is an American sculptor/designer of public art and the space it inhabits. Her most famous work to date is The Girl Puzzle Monument in New York City, one of the world's largest monuments honoring diverse women... https://www.thegirlpuzzle.com/press

This is her first film. She is also a writer, public speaker, and the CEO of Prometheus Art, a Bronze Foundry & Design/Build Firm located in Lexington, KY. Matthews earned her Bachelor’s in Studio Art & Philosophy from the University of Louisville in 1990 and studied Fine Art and Architecture in Paris, France in 1989.

A commitment to fairness, civil rights, and community is central to Matthews’ work, which recognizes and honors the plight of those who are marginalized and still seeking equal rights and representation. She primarily designs large-scale interactive monuments and installations with emphasis on accessibility for all people.

Messengers, her ongoing body of work, captures the magic and mystery of our place, as animated spirits, within the natural world. This series deeply considers the spectra of gender and sexuality through a cultural and anthropological lens.

Matthews serves as:
*CEO, Prometheus Art
*Chair, (Previous Vice-Chair/Commissioner), Kentucky Oral History Commission
*President of the Board of Directors, Artemis Initiative Public Charity
*Founding Member, Monumental Women of Kentucky, State Commission

Selected Awards:
*Inducted by Governor Andy Beshear into Kentucky Women Remembered Permanent Exhibit in KY Capitol for Women Trailblazers, 2024 (Portrait to be unveiled in KY Capitol 2025)
*Senate Commendation for Extraordinary Achievement as an Artist, Writer, Speaker, Businesswoman, KY, 2023
*Governor's Award in the Arts, Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement, Kentucky 2022-2023
*Small Business Administration (SBA) Pacesetter Award (for The Girl Puzzle Monument, NYC), 2021
*National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Business Owner of the Year, STRIVE Award, 2018
*National Association of Women in Construction (NAWC) Bluegrass Diamond Award, 2018
*ArtsConnect Visual Arts Award, 2024

Selected National and International Media Coverage:
CBS Saturday Morning Feature
NBC News NOW Feature
New York Times
The Washington Post
The Lily
Forbes
BBC World News Service
NPR, All Things Considered
CNN
American History TV – C-SPAN3
USA Today
Smithsonian Magazine listed The Girl Puzzle Monument in New York City 3rd of 9 “Must-See Sculptural Installations” in the World

Selected Notable Collections:
New York City Public Art Collection
Kentucky Capital Monuments Collection
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport Collection
SEEK Museum Collection (US Civil Rights Trail)
Aviation Museum KY/Blue Grass Airport Collection
Greater Clark Foundation Collection
Georgetown College Collection
Singletary Center for Arts Collection
Lexington, KY LFUCG Public Parks Collection
Roman Catholic Diocese Collection

Selected Public Speaking Engagements:
*University of Louisville Conference on Literature and Culture, February 24, 2024
*KASA KY Association of School Administrators Keynote Speaker, January 24, 2024
*Central KY American Association of University Women, November 2023
*George Washington University, Rituals in the Making, International Lecture, October 2023
*Woman's Club of Louisville Keynote Speaker, October 2023
*KY Governor (Andy Beshear) LEAD Conference, IMPACT Embracing a Culture of Inclusion, 2023
*Personne Extraordinaire, by Zehn Kashyap, India, 2023
*Spoke at GSP, KY Governor's Scholar Program, KY COVID Memorial
*Dedication of KY COVID Memorial at KY State Capitol 2023
*United Nations Foundation Global Leadership Summit 2022
*NYC Public Libraries 2022
*NYC Community Board 8 Manhattan 2022
*Brearley Upper School, NYC 2022
*NY Mary Washington Colonial Chapter NSDAR 2022
*Harvard University Radcliffe Circle (Graduate Group) 2022
*Looking for Drinkable Water Podcast, Atlanta, Georgia 2022
*Portrettpodden Podcast, Norway 2021
*American History TV – C-SPAN3 2018

She has received 24 Professional Grants from Organizations such as:
Great Meadows Foundation
E. Rhodes & Leona B. Carpenter Foundation
Kentucky Foundation for Women
National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) EQIP Grants
LexArts
LFUCG Government Grant
KY AG Development Fund (KADF) County Agricultural Investment Programs Grants (CAIP)

Matthews' work represents many iterations of the philosophy that we are born from our innate connection with Nature and each other. "We are ancestor and descendant, shadow and light, amoeba and mammoth, hawk and mouse, forest and wind, chaos and pattern, particle and wave. We are all born from the same stars, sculpted from the same source, and contain the same life."

For more information, please visit
https://www.prometheusart.com/,
Press... https://www.prometheusart.com/copy-of-press, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Matthews

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This short film was born from trauma that spawned intrusive thoughts, feelings of brokenness, and a desire to end the suffering. This agony is visible in others' eyes - my children, who are also part of the LGBTQ+ community, disabled, discounted, and marginalized friends, as well as many iterations of women - those who have experienced psychological or physical surveillance, confinement, and abuse.

Mirroring and symbolism are employed throughout the storyline, drawn from religious anthropology, history, and philosophy, revealing common patriarchal themes spanning many eras. Beloved friends created an extremely inclusive cast of voices spanning age, gender, sexuality, class, race, and ethnicity.

The script was written for three levels of understanding:
1. A survivor's reckoning,
2. A "speaking truth to systems of power" narrative, and
3. A metaphorical inquiry into a rite of passage about silencing voices and demons that live in our minds.

Much of the footage, especially of Artist/Sophia was shot by my dear friend, Roger Chambliss, who is legally disabled due to catatonic schizophrenia, which he has navigated for 40+ years. I chose to leave in slight elements of tics and stimming while filming some scenes. The footage and voices aren't perfect, but they are beautiful, haunting, and necessary, resulting in a fever dream, murder ballad, feminist anthem, and love letter to those who feel represented.

2024 Pau 4-245-737 Copyright Registration, Library of Congress, The Last Time Your Name is Spoken (Script text, vocals, short film)