Waste Away
In a trash-filled city, a homeless woman's encounter with a fish takes an unexpected turn.
Waste Away is a surreal stop motion short about a homeless woman who becomes pregnant with a fish. The responsibility of motherhood gives her the strength to fight for survival, while the forces of nature threaten to overtake her. The setting of urban neglect emphasizes the pervasive alienation between people, and humanity’s destructive impact on their environment. Relevant to today’s crisis, at a time when nature is undermining our position as its ruler, this animation tells a vivid story of disaster and rebirth. Waste Away is my BFA thesis film at Massachusetts College of Art & Design.
- Stop motion / DragonFrame + After Effects compositing
- 2020
Awards:
- Best Animated Short / Independent Shorts Awards / USA / 2020
- Best Student Film / Venice Shorts Festival / USA / 2020
- Outstanding Achievement Award (Animated Short) / Indie Short Fest / USA / 2020
- Semi Finalist / LA Femme International Film Festival / USA / 2020
Official Selection:
- Animation Block Party / NYC, USA / 2020
- FLICKFAIR / LA, USA / 2020
- Paris Art & Movie Awards / Paris, France / 2020
- Indie Street Film Festival / NJ, USA / 2020
- FemFilm Festival / NYC, USA / 2020
- Independent Shorts Awards / LA, USA / 2020
- Miami Independent Shorts Festival / Miami, USA / 2020
- SENE Film, Music, and Arts Festival / Providence, USA / 2020
- Venice Shorts / LA, USA / 2020
- Indie Shorts Fest / LA, USA / 2020
- Phoenix Monthly Short Film Festival / Toronto, Canada / 2020
- LA Femme International Film Festival / Beverly Hills, USA / 2020
- Cinemaway / Zhovka, Ukraine / 2020
- Tandem Bike-In Film Fest / Massachusetts, USA / 2020
- NFFTY / Washington, USA / 2020
- Offline Film Festival / Birr, Ireland / 2020
- Crossing The Screen / Eastbourne, UK / 2020
- New Filmmakers NY / NYC, USA / 2020
- Animasivo / Mexico City, Mexico / 2020
- Anchorage International Film Festival / Alaska, USA / 2020
- Whistler Film Festival / Whistler, Canada / 2020
Press:
- No Budge - Waste Away Premiere
- No Budge - 5 Questions With Elly Stern
- Dragonframe Blog - Waste Away by Elly Stern
- Girls In Film - Waste Away
- Zippy Frames - Waste Away by Elly Stern
- Skwigly Animation Magazine - Showcase
- Film Shortage - Daily Pick
- Shorted Films - Short Film of the Day
- Laughing Squid - A Homeless Woman Has a Profound Encounter With a Dead Fish...