“Faded, Not Yet Gone” by Lucas Dabrowski

Beyond the Short Official Premiere

A young man contemplates if the simple life and family tradition of farming is way of life for him or not.

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.

As Cole and his father, Joseph, push through the trying and monotonous life as farmers, they both battle with their own internal struggles. Cole questions whether this simple way of life is truly for him or not. Joseph picks up on his son’s complacency and worries he may lose his lead hand, leaving him alone to bare the workload of the farm.

This meditative film explores the idea of finding our true purpose in life and if that’s something worth fighting for. All while touching on the relationship between us humans and mother nature as well as father and son. The film comes to a head when a family relic is revealed to Cole that vocalizes his internal struggles.

From The Director

“Growing up in the countryside, I have always been enamoured by the land - spending endless days getting lost in nature. The allure of a simple and honest life as a farmer working the land has never faded on me, albeit the idea is probably a bit romanticized in my head. In Faded, Not Yet Gone I wanted to explore the idea of someone who has fallen into the family tradition of farming but has had uncertainty creep in.

I think this is a realization many people face: do I uphold my family’s heritage or do I have another calling out there? The film is intentionally simple at times allowing for the viewer to experience the beauty of nature and appreciate the world around us. And in other times, I emphasize the grueling, strenuous and tumultuous life that farming can be.

Overall I wanted to create a cinematic slice of that life that plays on the age-old idea of finding one’s true purpose in life.”

— Lucas Dabrowski

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CREDITS

Starring

Cole: Jacob Klick

Joseph: Michael Barstow

Poem Writer: Tatyana Decker

Voice Over: Grey Storm

Writer and Director: Lucas Dabrowski @thedabrowski

Executive Producer: Marni Luftspring

Executive Producer: Estelle Weir

Producer: Roman Hul

Production Manager: Roman Hul

Director of Photography: Kristofer Bonnell @kristoferbonnell

1st AC: Alex Dametto

2nd AC: Kwaku Kufor

BTS Photographer: Andrew Gook

Sound Mixer: Reid Goobie

Gaffer: Stefan Kuchar

Key Grip: John Oliver

Swing: Adrian Harasowsky

Production Assistant: Kevin Rodriguez, Callum Sheedy, Dillan Grant

Casting by: Jigsaw Casting

Casting Director: Shasta Lutz

Casting Coordinator: Katie Giglio

Editorial: Nimiopere

Editor: Steve Puhach @stevepuhach

Assistant Editor: Griffin Stobbs

Colour and Online: Alter Ego

Colourist: Wade Odlum @wadeodlum

Colour Assistant: Daniel Saavedra

Colour Producer: Genna Mcauliffe

VFX Artist: David Whiteson

Audio Post Production: Eggplant Music & Sound

Composer: Walker Grimshaw @walkergrimshaw

Sound Designer & Re-recording Mixer: Dan Horton

Audio Post Supervisor: Adam Damelin

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