The Last Time Your Name is Spoken
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.
*Persons with severe disabilities were integral in shooting this film.
*This film contains depictions of violence, self-harm, or trauma.
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Amanda B MatthewsDirector
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Amanda B MatthewsWriter
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Amanda B MatthewsProducer
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Jon HuffmanKey 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
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Amanda B MatthewsKey Cast"Artist/Sophia"Dreamers and Doers: Voices of Kentucky Women (Documentary)
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Amanda B MatthewsNarration and Featured Vocals for "Oh Death" AdaptationNarration for The Girl Puzzle Public Monument in NYC, Narration for The KY COVID Memorial at KY Capitol, Dreamers and Doers Documentary
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:18 minutes 58 seconds
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Completion Date:November 5, 2024
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Production Budget:4,900 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:4k, 24 fps
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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Digital Cinema Package:Unavailable
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Berlin Indie Film FestivalBerlin
Germany
Winner Best Artist Film Short Award -
Athens International Monthly Art Film FestivalAthens
Greece
Winner Best LGBTQ+ Short Film Award -
Crown Point International Film FestivalChicago, IL
United States
Official Selection/Winner Best Experimental Short Award -
New York - Istanbul Short Film FestivalIstanbul
Turkey
Selected but not screened
Official Selection Best Short Film Category -
Mindfield Film Festival - AlbequerqueAlbequerque, NM
United States
Silver Award/Finalist for Annual Live Event -
FilmArte FestivalBerlin
Germany
April 10, 2025
World Premiere
Official Festival Selection -
Kraken International Film FestivalMilan
Italy
Semi-Finalist -
Absurd Film FestivalMilan
Italy
Honorable Mention -
Power24 International Film FestivalDurban
South Africa
Honorable Mention -
Anatolia International Film FestivalIstanbul
Turkey
August 8, 2025
International Premiere
Official Selection -
Vienna International Film AwardsVienna
Austria
Award Honorable Mention -
Cinema CarnivalPisa
Italy
February 12, 2026
National Premiere
Official Selection -
Megaflix Movie AwardsStandish
United Kingdom
Selected but not screened
Official Selection Best LGBTQ Short -
Erie International Film FestivalErie
United States
December 12, 2025
Official Selection -
Wallachia International Film FestivalBucharest
Romania
December 5, 2025
National Premiere
Winner Featurette Movie/Official Selection
Amanda Matthews (she/her or they/them) 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 holds a Bachelor’s in Studio Art & Philosophy from the University of Louisville in 1990 & studied Fine Art/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.
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
What is stripped from our humanity when taught we are "less than"? The natural world offers a richness of abundance, community, equilibrium, and resurrection worthy of celebration, yet tyranny reigns supreme among humans. In this unnatural order, those who are marginalized continue to suffer long after they realize their value.
Mirroring and symbolism are employed throughout, drawn from religious anthropology, history, and philosophy, revealing common themes spanning many eras. Beloved family & friends created an incredibly inclusive cast of voices spanning age, gender, sexuality, class, race, and ethnicity.
Inspired by the concept of three deaths, this film is:
1. A survivor's reckoning,
2. A "speaking truth to systems of power" narrative, and
3. A metaphorical rite of passage about ending abuse and silencing demons that extend their life 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 elements of tics and stimming while filming some scenes. With no budget and two iPhones, we embarked on telling a very personal, yet universal story. The footage and voices aren't perfect, but they are beautiful, haunting, and necessary, resulting in a fever dream, 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)