Rooftop Films Brooklyn, NY
Sara Evans
Senior Manager and Curator of Living Collections, Green-Wood Cemetery
andEthan Crenson
Mycologist; Artist
Cemetery Shorts— Grief and the environment
Program Description
How do you cope with the grief that accompanies the loss and uncertainty of our rapidly changing environment? Sara Evans, the Senior Manager and Curator of Living Collections at Green-Wood Cemetery and Ethan Crenson, a mycologist and artist, share a few of their antidotes: strengthening their connection to the environment through community, citizen science, and stewardship.
Presented At
Rooftop Films Brooklyn, NY
Film Synopsis
Sometimes loss brings clarity. Other times, fog descends. Explore the mysteries, epiphanies, and surprises that can accompany tragedy.
Do we fear death? Are we afraid to know what comes after? What defines a life well-lived? The filmmakers in this program offer fresh perspectives on dying, loss, grief, and all that comes with it, whether it’s dealing with the unexpressed sorrow around a parent’s passing, our futures in an unknowable galaxy, or purchasing cheap reminders of our own mortality, these shorts express the many different forms death takes in our lives.
A HOLE
Molly Murphy | US | 10 minutes
A fable built around the time dilation that occurs in extreme gravity. Advised by esteemed physicist and graphic novelist, Clifford Johnson, A Hole looks at what would happen if the world were to be swallowed by a black hole…
GOODNIGHT, MOON
Michael Patten | US | 18 minutes
Stephen Gailule wants closure. After hijacking his father’s ashes, he makes a suburban pilgrimage, trespassing onto the grounds of his childhood home. Things change when the new tenant takes a particular interest in emotionally-stunted Steve.
NǍI NAI & WÀI PÓ (GRANDMA & GRANDMA)
Sean Wang | US | 17 minutes
Nǎi Nai is my grandma. Wài Pó is also my grandma. Together, they are a grandma super team that dances, stretches, and farts their sorrows away.
PERFECTING THE ART OF LONGING
Kitra Cahana | US | 12 minutes
Using footage from security cameras, video calls and home-video archives, this experimental short film leads us on a journey through memory, family and faith
STYROFOAM HUMAN SKULL WRAPPED IN PLASTIC
Ethan Knecht | US | 3 minutes
Styrofoam Human Skull Wrapped in Plastic is a spontaneous documentary/meditation centered on late stage capitalism.
WEAPONS AND THEIR NAMES
Melina Valdez | US | 16 minutes
Weapons and Their Names is a coming-of-age story about a teenage immigrant named Luciana, who lives in rural Florida. After the death of her American stepfather, she struggles to connect with her grieving mother and is unable to confront her own feelings of grief.
About the Speaker
Sara Evans is the Senior Manager and Curator of the Living Collection at The Green-Wood Cemetery. She provides leadership for the development, documentation, and curation of Green-Wood’s plant collections. She joined the horticulture team upon graduating from CUNY Brooklyn College where she received a B.A. in Urban Sustainability.
Location: Green-Wood Cemetery
Ethan Crenson became interested in mushrooms around 2008 and joined the New York Mycological Society shortly thereafter. He is an active contributor to Society's NYC fungal survey, dubbed "The Bolete Patrol"—though he has an affinity for tiny dots on sticks rather than boletes. He also has an MFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts and is a graphic designer.