Experiencing Interruptions?

Family Heirloom

"Family Heirloom" is a short film that follows a family heirloom vase that acts as a silent observer to three generations of family trauma. The film exclusively centers itself on the vase and its immediate environment, and the audience eavesdrops on quiet moments that occur out-of-focus or outside the frame. The sons inherit abusive habits from their fathers, then pass them onto the next generation. We see this unfold in various forms and watch from a distance how this affects the family tree.

  • Wasteland of Wonder
    Producer
  • Tyler Borkowski
    Writer
  • Tyler Borkowski
    Director
  • Olivia Garcia
    Key Cast
    "First Mother"
  • Johnny Woj
    Key Cast
    "First Father"
  • Beni Gregor
    Key Cast
    "Second Father (Child)"
  • Josette Elias
    Key Cast
    "First Mother (Old)"
  • Ian Wagner
    Key Cast
    "Second Father"
  • Sophie Berger
    Key Cast
    "Second Mother"
  • Paxton Mishkind
    Key Cast
    "Third Father (Child)"
  • Jason Read
    Key Cast
    "Third Father"
  • Kate Kaemmerling
    Key Cast
    "Third Mother"
  • Trae Beneck
    Director of Photography
  • Karen Manley
    Production Designer
  • Elijah Donovan
    Sound Recordist
  • Elijah Donovan
    Grips
  • George Boe
    Grips
  • Trae Beneck
    Editor & Colorist
  • Ian Wagner
    Sound Editor
  • Cole Azulay
    Soundtrack
  • Johnny Bugarin
    Soundtrack
  • Truman McCaw
    Casette Tape Music
  • Aaliyah Summerlin
    Phone Voice
  • Debbie Manley
    Executive Producers
  • John Manley
    Executive Producers
  • Christine Barrett
    Special Thanks
  • Katie Barrett
    Special Thanks
  • Diane Beneck
    Special Thanks
  • Steve Beneck
    Special Thanks
  • George Boe
    Special Thanks
  • Gina Borkowski
    Special Thanks
  • Talyn Edelson
    Special Thanks
  • Dylan Evans
    Special Thanks
  • Kari Grossman
    Special Thanks
  • Donna Merlina
    Special Thanks
  • Ron Merlina
    Special Thanks
  • Jason Read
    Special Thanks
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Horror, Melodrama, Slice-of-Life
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 59 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 12, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    1,220 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Tyler Borkowski

Tyler Borkowski is a director who focuses on the human aspects of stories, emphasizing the visceral and evocative moments of the day-to-day. They are the co-owner of Wasteland of Wonder, a film production company specializing in client work with a unique voice. Their portfolio showcases a wide range from family dramas to whiskey commercials; all of which are treated with tender care. Cinema is the exploration of relationships and context, both on the screen and behind the camera.

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Director Statement

I have often grappled with what it means to be a man because I never was what they taught me a man should be. A man is strong, a man is brutal, and a man is in control over himself and others. I had often found that many boys I knew from childhood had been groomed into violence. Their once sweet innocent faces alongside simple joys such as crayons and sing-song had been put away, and replaced with a fear of the world, fear of others, and fear of themselves.

How do I avoid the same fate which so many had fallen into?

Why do men resent the only ones brave enough to love them?

"Family Heirloom" is an examination of my deepest fears, the corruption of innocence, and the generational nature of these behaviors. When I lived with a serious partner for the first time, I was so afraid of becoming everything I hate in the world, and losing myself in a cycle that had been going on for generations.

Writing this script became a way to examine the mistakes of others and prevent them from occurring in my own life, a way to ensure that I could be the person that she needed me to be. To make sure that I didn’t become my own worst nightmare, like so many men before me had. I hope that this film helps young men see that they are more than the circumstances of their upbringing and that they can prevent the wrongs of their fathers from becoming their own.