An Unscripted Earth

Lawrence and Jaime were best friends during high school in Australia, but attended university on opposite sides of the globe. After four years apart, they reunite for a hedonistic week in Manila, Jaime’s hometown. As they tour Asia’s fastest-growing megacity and celebrate their forthcoming graduations, they begin to feel the weight of nostalgia for the first time. The debut narrative feature from the makers of the critically-acclaimed documentary 'Six Months to Salvation,' 'An Unscripted Earth' is a story of memory, young adulthood and the uncertain future of our globalised world.

  • Lorenzo Benitez
    Director
    Six Months to Salvation
  • James Holloway
    Director
  • Jonathon Parker
    Director
  • Lorenzo Benitez
    Writer
  • Lorenzo Benitez
    Producer
    Six Months to Salvation
  • James Holloway
    Producer
    Six Months to Salvation
  • Jonathon Parker
    Producer
  • James Holloway
    Key Cast
  • Lorenzo Benitez
    Key Cast
  • Carlos Celdran
    Key Cast
    The Great Cinema Party, Esoterica: Manila, Women Of Malolos
  • Jonathon Parker
    Key Cast
  • Jonathon Parker
    Editors
    Six Months to Salvation
  • James Holloway
    Editors
    Six Months to Salvation
  • Jonathon Parker
    Cinematography
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 11 minutes 37 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    2,200 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Philippines
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No

  • Australia
Director Biography - Lorenzo Benitez, James Holloway, Jonathon Parker

Lorenzo Benitez is a Filipino-Australian filmmaker and a director and producer of ‘An Unscripted Earth.’ He is one of the lead actors in the film, as well as its screenwriter; his first involvement in a narrative feature. Lorenzo’s feature-length directorial debut, the documentary ‘Six Months to Salvation’ (2016), recently premiered at the Willard Straight Theatre in Ithaca, New York. The documentary has been universally praised as a “fascinating,” “thought-provoking” and “breathtaking” example of contemporary filmmaking. He is the producer and cinematographer of ‘Sunday’ (2017), a short film currently in post-production, and colourist for ‘Stuck in the Middle’ (2018), a feature-length hybrid documentary also in post-production. He currently studies Philosophy and Economics at Cornell University.

James Holloway is an Australian filmmaker and a director, producer and editor of ‘An Unscripted Earth.’ He is also one of the lead actors in the film; his first involvement in a narrative feature. James was a producer and editor of the feature documentary ‘Six Months to Salvation’ (2016), which has been universally acclaimed by critics as a “fascinating,” “thought-provoking” and “breathtaking” work of cinema. At the age of 16, his short film won the Tvebiomovies competition and has been watched by more than 300 000 people. Additionally, his prose writing has won the Verge Award for Literature and been published in the Hermes Literary Journal. He currently studies Media and Communications at the University of Sydney.

Jonathon Parker is an Australian filmmaker and a director, producer and editor of ‘An Unscripted Earth.’ He is also the film’s cinematographer, sound designer and post-production supervisor; his first involvement in a narrative feature. Jonathon was a producer and editor of the feature documentary ‘Six Months to Salvation’ (2016), which has been universally acclaimed by critics as “fascinating,” “thought-provoking” and “breathtaking.” He has produced video content for SBS Australia, written for the Sydney Morning Herald and freelanced as a videographer and editor. He is also the director of the short documentary ‘To Ride Us Back Home to Eternity’ (2016). In 2018, he will study for an Honours Degree in English at the University of Sydney, having completed undergraduate studies in Media and Communications.

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Director Statement

'An Unscripted Earth' is, in essence, a film about the effects of time and distance on friendship. When we finish high school, we naturally drift away from even our dearest of friends as we slowly realise that these relationships are built entirely on coincidence. This process is exacerbated for old high school friends Jaime and Lawrence, the protagonists of the film, as we witness their reunion after four years on opposite sides of our unpredictable earth. People, especially young adults, can change so dramatically in half a decade; our characters are somewhat unrecognisable to each other once they reunite.

It is a film of firsts: the first English-language narrative film shot in Duterte's Philippines; the first dramatic role of legendary Filipino performer Carlos Celdran; and one of the only films to take place in the uncertain chasm between Trump's election and his inauguration.

My fellow directors and I hope to stimulate audiences' understanding of Filipino history, right up to Duterte's Presidency, and the role of nationhood in a globalised world. As the barriers between nations continue to collapse, despite resistance from the Trumps of the world, can anyone really tether themselves to a single place or culture?

We hope that the film's content inspires you to consider notions of loss, ennui and memory, whilst its form evokes the digitisation and fragmentation creeping into contemporary society.

- Jonathon Parker