“The Middle Of The World” By Andrew Q Holzschuh

Endurance runner and artist Aaron Garcia shares his experience as he pushes himself to the limits, mentally and physically, as he runs over 40 miles from south rim of the Grand Canyon to the north rim, and back in a single day.

The short film IN MEDIAS RUSH is an experimental cinematic journey into the depths of a manic mind. A poetic retro-sci-fi narrative unfolded in a string of unsettling tableaus that encapsulates the male protagonist’s ambiguous feelings about his birthday. While balancing between realities in his silent struggle with severe mental illness, we plunge into the film at a neatly orchestrated birthday party. The protagonist is accompanied by his girlfriend, and they are drinking cocoa on the couch in their mutual home. The setting breathes pure perfection, but through the voice over we sense that another reality is soon to be revealed. With one foot on the accelerator, he is heading towards the edge. The thematic focal point of IN MEDIAS RUSH is mental health problems among young adults, and the social/personal consequences related to the existing taboo on the subject. The film wishes to formulate an honest cinematic space in which words, sound, and image artistically interprets and articulates some of the perspectives related to especially bipolar, anxiety, and psychotic disorders. IN MEDIAS RUSH was nominated in the category 'Best Danish Short Film' at Copenhagen Short Film Festival in 2020. Original title: IN MEDIAS RÆS Directed by: Esben Persson -------------------- DK: IN MEDIAS RÆS IN MEDIAS RÆS er en filmisk rejse ind i dybderne af et manisk sind. En ung mand fejrer sin fødselsdag, mens hans tanker tordner afsted. Med en uvillig fod på speederen har han kurs mod kanten. FR: IN MEDIA RES IN MEDIA RES est un voyage dans les profondeurs d’un esprit maniaque. Un jeune homme fête son anniversaire tandis que ses pensées se multiplient. Malgré lui, il se dirige vers un point de non-retour. -------------------- Cast: Peter Alexander Bach & Amanda Overby Drew Director // Script writer // Set designer // Costume designer // Editor // Speaker: Esben Persson Photographer // Editor: Lasse Mølsted Producer: Latifa Lykke Ben Mabrouk Assistant producer: Cecilie Creutsberg Music composer: Martin Bejder Sound designer: Mads Hye Chief Lighting Technician: Rasmus Bruun Liboriussen VFX: Jonas Fonnesbæk Lodahl Colorist: Kristopher Paterson Graphic designer: Jakob Toft Kristensen -------------------- Shot on RED Monstro 8K with Lomo Squarefront Anamorphics.

From The Director

“What causes someone to wake up at 3am and run forty-something miles from the south rim of the Grand Canyon to the north rim, and then back, In one day? That’s 11,000 feet of elevation gain. When my friend Aaron told me he would be running the rim-to-rim-to-rim, I booked my plane ticket knowing the rest would figure itself out. And as you’ll see, it did. I have a deep connection with endurance. I’ve run two marathons in Texas and completed two thru-hikes; the Pacific Crest Trail in 2015 and the Colorado Trail in 2019.”

—Andrew Holzschuh

Credits

Directed by Andrew Q Holzschuh | @andrewqholzschuh

Featuring Aaron Garcia | @aarongarciastudio @intothewaste.land

Atmospheric Film | @atmospheric.film

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