Private Project

Those Among (The Short Edit)

Inspired by Adrienne Rich’s Poem, “There must be those among whom we can sit down and weep and still be counted as warriors,”and after experiencing her own trauma, solo adventurer and first time film maker Casey Sheppard sets out on a month long road trip in seek of answers. Sheppard connects with adventurous women who have faced trauma in the hopes of understanding their journeys within and throughout healing. What Sheppard finds is that no adventure is too small and no trauma is too big to keep connection, love, hope, and understanding from thriving. This is the shortened version of the full length feature film.

This is the debut film by Casey Sheppard, who acts as camerawomen, sound & color engineer, writer, director, animator, editor, narrator, musician, producer, tech, and punk.

  • Casey Sheppard
    Director
  • Casey Sheppard
    Writer
  • Casey Sheppard
    Producer
  • Alli DeFrancesco
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Debora De Napoli
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Annette McGivney
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Kareemah Batts
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Josie Smith
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Lindsay MacNevin
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Tracy Ross
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    44 minutes 51 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 3, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Casey Sheppard

Nomad adventurer Casey Sheppard has been making short films for over 5 years, capturing her nomadic life and adventures in hopes to empower other women to get lost in nature. Using art as expression, Sheppard creates worlds within animation, stop motion, the written word, and films to share her personal experiences on Earth and, maybe one day, beyond!

Sheppard was a recipient of The Pollination Project grant (2020), was the first recipient of the Big Agnes Bob Swanson Memorial Grant (2018), was named Best Digital Content by Upventur (2017), and her first full length documentary “Those Among” was finished in 2021. She has created content for Matador Network Travel Stoke App, Dirty Jane, Women Who Explore, and more. Sheppard is based in the southwest where she spends most of her time drawing animations, making films, taking rad pictures, slinging some cocktails, exploring the written word, and playing in the dirt.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This film is not flashy. There are no drone shots, no multi angle views, or dramatic slow motion walks. But this film is unique, raw, creative, and has depth with playfulness and story.

This film was shot entirely by me. I was the camera person who also conducted the interviews while filming and recording sound. In post production, the editing, music, voice over/narration, graphics, animation, and everything else (except some film footage and photographs) was done by a first time film maker who had no idea what she was getting herself into. But I was powered by the drive to make a film that brings conversations within trauma. The conversations that are bypassed due to what we “think” we should due because either society says to “get over it, move on!” It may also be too hard to explore our own trauma, getting lost along the way. We may even feel alone or misunderstood or confused.

This film is very personal to me. As a surviver myself, I hope this film allows space for compassion, empathy, vulnerability for these difficult, yet necessary, conversations to take place. Maybe this film can help someone feel not so alone or afraid or misunderstood. Maybe this film can help family members of those in the myst of trauma understand what their loved ones are feeling. Maybe this film will bring just a little bit of love and hope. And even though this film focuses specifically on women in the outdoors the content translates to anyone who has experienced trauma, which, in reality, is all of us.