The Star is an animated feature film co-directed by Jonathon Stearns and Stacy Dawson Stearns. The screenplay was adapted from the H.G Wells 1897 sci-fi short story of the same name.
It's the year 1900, a time before TV and radio, before cars and airplanes. A bright new star appears in the sky, seen around the world. People marvel at its beauty, while others see an omen of doom. Astronomers make a grim announcement: this star is a planet-sized fireball hurtling through space on a collision course with Earth. As it grows brighter and larger each day,
panic ensues- yet many refuse to believe the science.
Intense heat melts the Earth's ice caps. Floods, tidal waves, hurricanes, volcanoes, and earthquakes plague the planet. As the fireball grows larger and hotter than the sun, humanity faces a terrifying reckoning. The Star is a global warming nightmare fast-forwarded to occur in days vs. decades.
As the story unfolds, we travel around the world, seeing people fearing for their lives and for their children, a reminder of our commonality as Earthlings. Wells’ biting wit and memorable characters make The Star an exciting and compelling metaphor of modern times, demonstrating how little people have changed in 120+years.
The Production
Animator /Film maker Jonathon Stearns began sourcing images from early 1900s archives over a decade ago, inspired by a practice he had developed while creating a music video for Rickie Lee Jones. Stearns collages and remixes images to create the visually compelling scenes for The Star, a hybrid style overlapping narrative, experimental and documentary genres.
The powerful femme cast is directed by Stacy Dawson Stearns, their performances raising Wells' text to new levels of nuance and meaning. Sessions were recorded from Los Angeles, CA to Belgrade, Serbia.
Production is underway.
The Team
Stacy Dawson Stearns is Los Angeles-based writer, director, choreographer, activist, new media artist, and Bessie Award-winning performer. Her work has been featured internationally, including live performances, films, audio books, immersive experiences, and more. She is currently in the process of writing a practical manual for artists.
Jonathon Stearns is Los Angeles-based animator. writer, and film maker. His work includes narrative and experimental films, music videos, documentaries, immersive experiences, web series, political campaigns, video design for live performance, a radio play, and commercial work.
Cast
Sophia Lee
Carolina Vargas Romero
Joana Knezevic
Kestrel Leah
Stacy Dawson Stearns
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