Filmmaker Statement

Someone very close in my life reached an emotional tipping point that lead her to make the impossible choice to not bring a child into this world. It was a decision that shattered my understanding of her, as I couldn't fathom how someone so maternal could set aside her most intimate and personal desire to become a parent. Ugh, she’s the best dog mom ever. It pains me to think that she will never experience the deepest connection one can share with another human being. Instead of passing judgment or succumbing to anger, I chose to listen and seek to understand. When I shared this story with people, I realized how deeply this conflict resonated with others. Having to make decisions about motherhood during our current environmental crisis became the driving force behind "Glacial Ways”. In a bold and experimental fashion, graphic animation is used to show audiences an 'under the hood' perspective of what's really going on around us. Every sip of alcohol she takes, or bite of a croissant, she’s keenly aware of the damage being done and we can physically see it. This is a metaphor for how we treat the environment, knowing every little 'micro' action builds up to 'macro' consequences. I was also deeply inspired by Darren Aronofsky’s distinctive visual techniques such as time-lapse sequences and hip-hop montages, which was a wonderful storytelling tool to show modern day doom scrolling. The goal was to create a visceral and tactile experience to help thrust the audience into the mind of a scientist grappling with the environmental crisis. It was very important that this isn’t a doom and gloom story; I wanted it to end on a positive note. The tone on set was very playful, considering how everyone on the team is extraordinarily passionate about the environment and this project. We spent well over a year in post-production to ensure this film was done right. The film underscores the heartrending dilemma faced by many in our time. "Glacial Ways" speaks to the personal yet universal, the immediate yet timeless, and raises the question of whether such impossible choices will become a prevailing theme in our collective future.