83’, Documentary Feature
Produced by Academy Award Winner Odessa Rae (NAVALNY)
“IN THE FACE OF WARS, GENOCIDES AND OTHER ATROCITIES, DOES ART-MAKING SERVE ANY PURPOSE? DAVID HENRY GERSON'S DOCUMENTARY, 'THE STORY WON'T DIE,' ANSWERS WITH A RESOUNDING YES." - Devika Girish, The New York Times
"FLASHES OF INVENTION AND INSPIRATION" - Guy Lodge, Variety
“AN EXCELLENT, IMPORTANT AND INSPIRING FILM." - Shirin Neshat.
"ART HUMANIZES. THIS FILM HUMANIZES." - Shepard Fairey
Synopsis: An inspiring, timely look at a creative young generation of Syrian artists, using their work to protest and process the aftermath of what is currently the world’s largest and longest displacement of people since World War II.
Rapper Abu Hajar, together with other celebrated creative personalities of the Syrian uprising, a Post-Rock musician (Anas Maghrebi), members of the first all female Syrian rock band (Bahila Hijazi and Lynn Mayya), a breakdancer (Bboy Shadow) and choreographer (Medhat Aldaabal), and visual artists (Tammam Azzam, Omar Imam and Diala Brisly), use their art to rise in revolution and endure in exile in this new documentary reflecting on a battle for peace, justice and freedom of expression. It is an uplifting and humanizing look at what it means to be a refugee in today’s world, and offers inspiring and hopeful vantages of a creative response to the chaos of war.
THE STORY WON’T DIE premiered at 2021 Hot Docs, went on to screen at AFI Docs, Watch Docs, with the US Department of State, and won Best Director at Doc LA and Best Feature Doc at FIC Autor Guadalajara.
Director: David Henry Gerson
Producer: Odessa Rae (NAVALNY)
Executive Producer: Katherine Embiricos LeFrak
Co-Producers: Abdalaziz Alhamza (Subject of Matthew Heineman's CITY OF GHOSTS), Colleen Ritzau Leth and Martin Marquet (EPICENTRO, THE BALLAD OF GENESIS AND LADY JAYE)
Featuring: Medhat Aldaabal, Tammam Azzam, Diala Brisly, Abu Hajar, Bahila Hijazi, Omar Imam, Lynn Mayya, Anas Maghrebi and Mhd Sabboura (BBoy Shadow).
@thestorywontdie
Winner of the Student Academy Award®
"BEAUTIFUL AND HARROWING” - Huffington Post
15 min. Shot on 35 mm and 8mm film
SYNOPSIS:
"When a young Nazi finds a theater troupe of survivors celebrating the end of WWII in an abandoned Polish theater, he is forced to realize his role in their grief."
FESTIVALS // AWARDS:
Student Academy Awards®
- Gold Medal, Alternative Category
24fps International Film Festival
- Kurosawa Award for Creative Excellence, David Henry Gerson
- Best Production Design, Daniela Medeiros
FIC Autor International Film Festival, Mexico
- Best Experimental Short Film
Las Vegas International Film Festival
- Best International Short
Rhode Island International Film Festival
- Best Editing, Spencer Koobatian
Windrider International Student Film Festival
- Cinematic Storytelling Award, David Henry Gerson
DIRECTED BY David Henry Gerson
WRITTEN BY David Henry Gerson, Martin Horvat, and Brennan Peters
PRODUCED BY Beatrice von Schwerin
STARRING Harrison Thomas, Beata Pozniak, Kristof Konrad, Kinga Philipps, Anthony Nikolchev, and Kasia Kowalczyk
CINEMATOGRAPHY BY Eli Arenson
PRODUCTION DESIGN BY Daniela Medeiros
EDITING BY Spencer Koobatian
CASTING BY Stacia Kimler, Bialy/Thomas and Associates
SOUND DESIGN BY Nathan Ruyle / This Is Sound Design
ORIGINAL SCORE BY Brian McOmber
WITH MUSIC BY The Warsaw Village Band
CHOREOGRAPHY BY Celia Rowlson-Hall
A short film by David Henry Gerson
"Truly excellent…a taut, disturbing, meaningful portrait of a military man in trouble...makes me understand a man's unfathomable actions." - John Patrick Shanley
"Dynamite!” - Abel Ferrara
SYNOPSIS: An American veteran returns home from military service to his undocumented immigrant girlfriend. After killing for his country, and suffering from PTSD, he is tormented by the idea that his lover might be using him as a means to gain citizenship. The clash of their traumatic pasts leads to an explosive and tragic collision between these two alienated young Americans.
a short documentary film by David Henry Gerson
"Totally Engaging!" – Albert Maysles
“A gem of a little film” – The Huffington Post
“Fully engrossing and totally cool” – Film News Briefs
Acquired into the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, NY.
Ultra Violet - mistress to Salvador Dali, muse to Andy Warhol, and a born-again Mormon - reveals in this sixteen minute portrait her untold tale of spiritual rebirth and her iconic perspective on fame, art, and religion. Includes rare photographs from her past, and Andy Warhol’s screen-test of Ultra Violet from 1965.
Official Selection:
A Shaded View on Fashion Film Festival 2011, Pompidou Museum, Paris
Be Film Festival NYC 2010
DC Independent Film Festival 2010
Nashville Film Festival 2011
New Filmmakers New York Film Festival 2010
New Jersey International Film Festival 2010
Slamdance Film Festival 2011
Visionfest Film festival NYC 2010
Woods Hole Film Festival 2010
DOULA Pictures x Caesura Media – CONSTANTLY REPEATING.
Directed by David Henry Gerson
Cast:
Morten Holst
Mette Kjeldgård
Jon Lange
Nicolai Jandorf
Peder Holm Johansen
Frederik Stoumann
Crew:
Director: David Henry Gerson
Producer: Stine Marie Nielsen
Director of Photography: Jesper Duelund
Color: Christian Schwanenflügel
Costume Designer: Jesper Richardy // Time's Up
With a special thanks to Supersonic Studio CPH and the Royal Danish Army
DIRECTOR: DAVID HENRY GERSON
MUSIC: LEXIE ROTH
CHOREOGRAPHY: ANTHONY NIKOLCHEV
CINEMATOGRAPHY: AARON KOVALCHIK
FEATURING: DION PRATT, LEXIE ROTH, FALLON BROOKING, DANNY CRON, B EHST, NATASHA GRAVIA LUND, GENEVA HAMILTON, JOANA KNEZEVIC, LAQUAN LEWIS, PETER MARK GUIMARAES, CASEY MELONE, FERNANDO MITRE, ALEXANDRIA SALEEM, ABIGAIL STANTON, HANAH TRUJILLO, CHRISTOPHER YARROW & NOGA YECHIELI
SHOT ON LOCATION AT CAL ARTS SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
