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Sacred Animals
TYPE: Narrative Short
GENRE: Drama
STATUS: Pre-Production
LOGLINE
An estranged father and son revisit their deer hunting tradition in the Idaho mountains. Packing out their kill brings their wounds to the surface.
SYNOPSIS
Alexander and his father Zane revisit their hunting tradition. Zane shot a deer in a valley; pushing to finish before nightfall, Alexander helps Zane pack 300 pounds of meat up a cliff. Father and son fight uphill through injuries and prejudices — under the watch of the deer’s severed head.
ARTISTIC STATEMENT
Set in the Pacific Northwest's Sawtooth Mountains, "Sacred Animals" combines elements of suspense, horror and drama. Think the visuals of The Revenant; the interpersonal drama of Tree of Life; and the brutalism of The Lighthouse. This psychological thriller explores “atonement with the father” — an idea outlined by Joseph Campbell in “A Hero with a Thousand Faces” — paired with Jungian concepts about the presence/absence of the father. Another point of interest is the generation gap: the traits and wisdoms we inherit from our parents, and those we choose to discard. We also expound on the question of human vs. nature, considering the consequences of America’s treatment of our natural resources. The story is also inspired by the Greek mythos of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. When Artemis’ sacred deer is slaughtered by Greek hunters, she enacts equal revenge. She does the same when another hunter accidentally sees her bathing, turning him into a stag, which his own dogs eventually hunt and kill. Hubris and nature collide similarly in “Sacred Animals”, as the dead deer and the brutal mountain retaliate against Alexander and Zane. Riding the coattails of our last short, we want to challenge ourselves to master technique. Vast wide shots will paint the grand picture of the Sawtooths; expertly blocked Steadicam tracking shots will drop us in the middle of the drama; American folk music will punctuate the film. We’re learning to be ultra specific about how we direct our actors, camera/lighting team, and sound design — pushing our potential to the limit in our biggest project yet.
KEY CREW
Sofia Rubin - Writer / Co-Director / Producer
Born & raised in Queens, NY, Sofia graduated with honors from Northwestern University's film program, where she was a Capstone Award recipient for her thesis film about nuns discovering porn. She is a 2x gold, 3x silver National Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards winner, and her screenplays for "CUB" and “Sacred Animals” have been placed on a number of international writing awards shortlists. Sofia is driven to explore stories of discomfort, especially when it comes to the human body.
Myles Brewer - Writer / Co-Director / Producer / "Alexander"
Myles was born and raised in Idaho; he moved to LA to work in commercials and TV (Netflix, ABC, HBO, Mansa) as well as on the stage and in independent film. He now resides in NYC, independently producing films he both co-directs and stars in. He also stars in multiple one-act plays produced by the underground Brooklyn theatre company Adult Film.
Andrew Grell - Producer
Andrew Grell is an American Film & Commercial producer who has produced projects that span from narrative feature, to documentary, and to branded content. Andrew has spent the past 5 years expanding his producing palette by taking on a larger variety of projects, from short films such as Sarah and the Animals (2023), to the Mike Tyson hosted podcast series Hot Boxin (2023), to his documentary project through sponsorship with Redbull On the Ledge. Andrew recently completed work on his first narrative feature Mad Bills to Pay (2024) which premiered at Sundance (2025) and Berlinale (2025) and won an award at Sundance for Best Ensemble Cast.
Greg Wilson - Director of Photography
Greg Wilson, an Oscars short-listed and Emmy Awards-winning director/cinematographer, has become known for designing and crafting unique solutions to previously impossible cinematic shots, often in extreme environments – always pushing for innovation in his work. Greg is based in Boise, ID; he won an Emmy for his work on the Netflix Original film ZION with his long-time collaborator Floyd Russ. The film was also short-listed for the Academy Awards and won Best Short Documentary at the International Documentary Awards.
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