as the night

In this silent one-minute poem film about selective mutism, an apparition, regret, and hope, a man imagines living a much different life.

Text of poem (embedded in film - no English-language closed caption/subtitle files needed):

black sky girl
one tooth turns in
maybe I could taste those lips

first I’d have to whisper “hi”

she would have to whisper back

we’d spin a web past drunken swim boys
ABCs and 1-2-3s

build ourselves a never-known

lie together
as if free

like birds, like birds, above it all

speech as easy
as the night

Copyright 2023 by Adam E. Stone

  • Adam E. Stone
    Director
  • Adam E. Stone
    Writer
  • Adam E. Stone
    Producer
  • Adam E. Stone
    Cinematographer
  • Adam E. Stone
    Editor
  • Joti Locker
    Additional Cinematographer
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short, Other
  • Genres:
    Poem film, Poetry film, Silent film, Microshort, Short film, One-minute film, Experimental film, Selective Mutism, Videopoetry, Hope, Regret, Apparition, Unpeopled film
  • Runtime:
    1 minute
  • Completion Date:
    January 3, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • 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:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Cinema at Citygarden
    St. Louis, Missouri
    United States
    May 26, 2023
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Bloomsday Film Festival
    Dublin, Ireland
    Ireland
    June 13, 2023
    Ireland Premiere
    Official Selection
  • MISTER VORKY
    Ruma, Serbia
    Serbia
    June 24, 2023
    Serbian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • TRANÅS AT THE FRINGE
    TRANÅS, Sweden
    Sweden
    July 1, 2023
    Sweden Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Walthamstow International Film Festival
    London, England
    United Kingdom
    June 4, 2023
    European Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Life Screenings One Minute Film Festival
    Clermont, Florida
    United States
    May 27, 2023
    Florida Premiere
    Official Selection
  • KinoDrome
    Cleveland, Ohio
    United States
    September 24, 2023
    Ohio Premiere
    Official Selection
  • FilmArte Festival
    Berlin, Germany
    Germany
    Semi-Finalist
  • Nooga Underground Film Fest
    Chattanooga, Tennessee
    United States
    October 14, 2023
    Tennessee Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 180' Berlin Filmfest
    Berlin, Germany
    Germany
    Semi-Finalist
  • Hastings Rocks International Film Festival
    Hastings, England (online, limited access)
    United Kingdom
    April 12, 2024
    Official Selection and Honorable Mention
Director Biography - Adam E. Stone

Adam E. Stone's latest feature film is the poetic essay film "Atmospheric Marginalia" (2022). His films have been featured at dozens of prominent, well-curated festivals worldwide, and have won numerous awards. Short poem and essay films include "as the night" (2023), "Tyranny of the Unafflicted" (2023), "If Any" (2021), "Awake" (2021), "Specks and Flashes" (2020), "Elegy for Unfinished Lives" (2020), "an entombing(dis)entombing" (2020), "Declarations" (2019), and "Gods Die Too" (2018). Previous short dance films include "Do Not Forget the Lost" (2019), "Summer Friend: A Ballet Film" (2016), "Resting Places: A Ballet Film" (2015), and "Janet: A Silent Ballet Film" (2014). He also is the writer, producer, and co-director of the feature-length fictional essay film "Abstractly You Loved Me" (2013), and is one of the co-producers of, and conducted many of the interviews for, the feature-length documentary "Black Hawk Down: The Untold Story" (DVD 2019). In 2012, Stone wrote and produced the spoken-word ballet "A Life Unhappening," which is about the impact of one woman's Alzheimer's disease on three generations of her family. In 2010, he wrote, directed, and produced the DVD novel "Cache Girl Saves the World: A Novel in Visions." He is also the author of three conventional print novels: "Xamon Song" (2006), "Kingston Fugue" (2007), and "The New Harmonies" (2009). He currently lives and works in Carbondale, Illinois.

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