Last Day Dream
Written and Directed by Chris Milk
Produced by Samantha Storr
Released in April 2009
If you would prefer, watch the HD feature here: Last Day Dream [HD] on Vimeo
A short and stunning film piece by director Chris Milk. It was produced for the
42 Second Dream Film Festival in Beijing, China. Its synopsis: “
a man watches his life pass before him.” A topic that most likely will touch every person who watches it, because in life we experience good and bad moments. And it is best to make use of every moment to the fullest.
Chris Milk is known for his music video work with artists such as Kanye West, U2, Green Day, Audioslave, Gnarls Barkley, and others.
The festival's aim - "One Dream Rush"
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42 Below, the vodka brand from New Zealand owned by Bacardi, is the creative sponsor of One Dream Rush, a very short film festival based in Beijing, China. 42 films from around the world were chosen from a competition in which film makers were given 42 seconds on the dream theme.
The competition, launched in October 2008, culminated in a showcase event held at the Chinese National Film Museum in Beijing, April 2009, and is now set to travel around the world, starting at the Cannes Film Festival. “We all share the waking world together, but half our lives are spent asleep, alone with our dreams.”
Creative Director and Curator Rajan Mehta notes, “We live in a world where cultural exchange spreads faster, and with a lot less resistance, than military or economic invasion. The idea was to leverage that exchange to produce something truly unique.”
Films have been assessed by a panel featuring directors Werner Herzog, Mu Deyuan, Cary Woods, Xia Gang, Ge You.
Film director Xia Gang, one of the jury members, said, “Unfortunately I didn’t see all the candidates’ works because an elimination was held before the jury process starts. I think it’s a good platform for young filmmakers because everyone has the same 42 seconds. The Chinese film industry has entered into a prosperous era, with more blockbusters coming out, new cinema lines and advanced techniques. But creativity is still a problem. I’ve seen some very creative works in this competition and I hope those directors keep working.”
“To control it within 42 seconds is not the final destination. It’s just a platform for new comers to show themselves. They must be daring, with innovative ideas, an understandable storyline and unique techniques in terms of the images, pacing and acting. Some of the works are just striking. They are thoughtful and powerful.”
Cary Woods, one of the judges, said, “Apparently, numerology is something that a lot of people spend a lot of time, even their entire life studying. And the number 42 definitely has some significance to a lot of people. It seems to be just enough time to get an idea forward that’s relatively sophisticated with imagery.”