Until the Rain Comes Back
Directors: Lauren Tyler Brimeyer and Jack Bushell
United States, 2022, 17 min
Shooting Format:ARRI Alexa
Festival Year:2023
Category:Documentary Short
Crew:Producer: Neil Thekdi. Director of Photography: Kyle Smolic
Email:laurenbrimeyer@gmail.com
Synopsis
In the thick of California’s Central Valley, in between San Francisco and Los Angeles, lies a town called Stratford. A once blossoming farming community filled with roaring restaurants, bustling businesses, and flourishing crops… now sits dry, dilapidated and crumbling in the broken heart of what was once one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. Told through the words of five strong-willed and impassioned Stratford residents, this film tells the story of life without water, and serves as a warning for the imminent fate that lies ahead for us all.
Trailer
About the directors
Lauren Tyler Brimeyer - Lauren is an award-winning director, producer and editor from New York. After graduating from Emerson College with a BA in film directing, writing, and producing, she took a one way ticket from New York to Los Angeles where she found herself sliding into the world of commercials and advertising. Within her growing repertoire of work, Lauren has directed, produced and edited numerous projects in the commercial world for various national and international brands. Lauren brings creative originality and integrity to every project she commences, with the goal of telling stories that are both emotionally-charged and visually compelling. As she dips her toes in the world of documentary filmmaking, Lauren aspires to tell stories that inspire, insight and influence viewers around the world. Lauren currently resides in Los Angeles, where she has co-founded the commercial and film production company, Wicked Grit.
Jack Bushell - Jack Bushell is an award-winning producer and director with a love for documentary filmmaking. His films have screened at film festivals worldwide, showcasing at Tallgrass Film Festival, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Heartland Film Festival, SLO International Film Festival, SXSW Pitch-A-Thon, and beyond. He has also been awarded the Outstanding Cinematic Achievement award from Stanley Nelson – one of the prominent documentary filmmakers of our time. Jack has a lengthy background working with large brands in the commercial world, including Marriott, WeWork, Casper, and Goodwill just to name a few. He currently resides in Los Angeles, CA where has has co-founded a commercial and film production company, Wicked Grit.
Filmmakers' note
Stratford tells the story of life without water.
How many times have you seen a video of an iceberg melting in Antartica? Or seen media clips of forest fires tearing down trees across the world? Most of our knowledge of climate change comes from what we see occur in nature or the direct results of natural disasters, but how often do you see the direct effect of climate change on every day life? This film is a window into life in a farming town that is first to experience the crippling effects of the drought in California. A once blossoming community filled with roaring restaurants, bustling business, lively bars and flourishing crops… now sits dry, dilapidated and crumbling in the broken heart of California’s Central Valley.
Told through the words of five strong-willed and impassioned Stratford residents, this film was made with the intention to warn viewers of the imminent fate that lies ahead for us all. The drought is real. Climate change is real. If you don’t think so, just take a look at Stratford.