Private Project

NEW

Elderly couple Hugh & Candace are restored to life after centuries in cryonic suspension. Together, they face the joys and challenges of a second life in the distant future.

  • John Harden
    Director
    La vie d'un chien (The Life of a Dog)
  • John Harden
    Writer
    The Sensitivity Program
  • John Harden
    Producer
  • Sheila Harden
    Producer
  • Don R. Lewis
    Producer
    Holy Ghost People
  • Jared Abrahamson
    Key Cast
    Finding a Family
  • Joslyn Jensen
    Key Cast
    Without
  • Jennifer Lafleur
    Key Cast
    The Do-Deca-Pentathalon
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Sci-fi, Drama
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 22, 2014
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Sci-Fi-London Film Festival
    London, UK
    May 4, 2014
    World Premiere
  • Film Fest Twain Harte
    Twain Harte, CA
    August 30, 2014
    North American Premiere
    Critic's Choice Award, Best Short Film
  • Napa Valley Film Festival
    Napa, CA
    November 15, 2014
  • Other Worlds Austin Film Festival
    Austin, TX
    December 6, 2014
  • Another Hole In The Head Film Festival
    San Francisco, CA
    December 13, 2014
  • Dam Short Film Festival
    Boulder City, NV
    February 5, 2015
  • Chicago Underground Film Festival
    Chicago, IL
    May 17, 2015
  • World Science Fiction Convention
    Spokane, WA
    August 22, 2015
Director Biography - John Harden

John Harden is an award-winning screenwriter and director of film and video.

His film La vie d'un chien (The Life of a Dog) screened at top-tier festivals around the world, including exhibition at NY MOMA as part of the New Directors/New Films series. It garnered numerous awards on the festival circuit, including Best Narrative Short in the 2005 Los Angeles Film Festival.

His screenplay The Sensitivity Program (co-authored with Skot Christopherson) was chosen as Best Feature Screenplay (Science Fiction Category) in the the Austin Film Festival competition, beating out over 700 other scripts in the category.

A filmmaker since age 13, the San Francisco Bay Area native remains fascinated by the power of the moving image to tell stories. His work in film is complemented by a background in visual arts and communication: graphic design, illustration, journalism and marketing.

John also employs his multi-hyphenate skills at Armstrong Creates, a marketing firm with a 30+ year history in Sonoma County, CA.

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Director Statement

The idea for NEW was sparked by an article about cryonics, the real-world practice of preserving bodies in liquid nitrogen in the hope that future medical technology will be able to restore them to life. That story was a window into people’s beliefs about mortality and identity, their attitudes about their current lives, and their plans to live another. It inspired me to write NEW.

If there are rules to life, the first of them may be "one to a customer." But imagine if technology were to change that rule, restoring youth and re-defining death. In NEW, this comes to pass. It poses some challenges for our main characters.