ASCENT, short film (9 min)
A young woman returns to a centuries-old redwood grove -- the site of a long-ago environmental protest -- to face her past, 250 feet in the air.
AVAILABLE ON SHORTS.TV
DIRECTOR: SORREL BRAE
PRODUCER: AUSTIN BUNN
WRITERS: AUSTIN BUNN & SORREL BRAE
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: LOUIS VENEZIA, NANCY SCHAFER
CAST: NATALIE MORALES, ALEX QUIJANO
SCREENINGS:
Athens International Film Festival (OH)
Berkshire International Film Festival (MA)
Roving Eye, Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Fest (RI)
DIRECTOR
Sorrel Brae has worked as a commercial director for over a decade, with award-winning spots for Mizuno, P&G, NFL, Dodge, Firefox, and dozens of others. He won the Cannes Lions Young Director Award, and his commercial spots have been honored with ACE, MIXX, and ADDY awards. His short films, "A Film By Vera Vaughn" (ShortoftheWeek) starring Marin Ireland (Hell Or High Water, Family Fang, The Slap), "The Trial of Barnaby Finch" starring Bern Cohen (Holy Rollers, This Must Be The Place), and "Ascent" starring Natalie Morales (The Grinder, Parks and Rec), have played on the Sundance Channel, been selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick, and screened at Austin, Brooklyn, Nashville, and Paris film festivals, among many others.
ACTRESS
Natalie Morales is an actress and director, known for Battle of the Sexes (2017), and the TV shows Abby (2019), The Grinder (2015), Parks and Recreation (2009) and Girls (2012).
CINEMATOGRAPHER
THOMAS SCOTT STANTON (cinematographer) has travelled the globe as a cinematographer for clients such as National Geographic, History Channel, Bravo, NFL Network, ABC, and AMC to name a few and has four feature films to his credit as Director of Photography, including THE LOOKALIKE, SAN PATRICIOS, GOOD OL’ BOY, and TAKE ME TO THE RIVER which recently had its world premiere at Sundance 2015. He has lensed features with such actors as Kris Kristofferson, Beau Bridges, Dale Dickey, Robin Weigert, Josh Hamilton, Gina Gershon, Gillian Jacobs, Josh Hamilton, Luis Guzman, John Corbett, Justin Long, Jerry O'Connell, Jason Lee, and Hilarie Burton.
FUNDING
Oregon State University, Shotpouch Collaborative Residency
Atkinson Center for Sustainability Rapid Response Fund Grant
Gangway Pictures (NYC)
Cornell University, Performing and Media Arts Department Grant
Cornell Council for the Arts (Summer 2016), post-production support
Atkinson Center Support Grant for Redwood Canopy Exploration Class