WE ARE STARDUST: THE INTERCONNECTION OF ALL THINGS, 15min., USA
Directed by Barb Barton
What connects all things on this beautiful and unique planet we call home? Can we reach deep into our collective universal past to understand that everything is carefully intertwined and dependent on everything else? Filmmaker Barb Barton presents a visually stunning and thought-provoking journey into the origin and interconnection of all things. This documentary short film is designed to inspire the viewer to see their place in life through a different lens and focus not on what separates but connects us. Can a broader view help us heal our relationships with nature and each other?

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Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I began learning astrophotography in the fall of 2022, which was the first time I had actually looked deeply into the sky. I had always known on an intellectual level that we were made of stardust, but something clicked inside of me spiritually and that knowing transformed into a much deeper understanding. As an endangered species biologist, I understand ecology and the connection of all life here on Earth. As I look around at the deep conflicts and divisions in our world right now, it seems like the perfect time to look at what connects us to promote healing and understanding.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you
to make this film?

The photography, footage, and astrophotography was done over a period of years and specific images/footage were selected for this project. After the narration was recorded, the editing process took about a month to complete.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Inspirational awakening

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Finding good stock images and computer generated graphics that represented the beginnings of our universe and other events that happened billions of years ago.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking
about your film in the feedback video?

I got tears in my eyes. I had hoped that the film would move people, and it does.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I always wanted to make films. I remember as a single digit human checking books out of the library about how to make movies and costume design. It wasn't until Microsoft Movie Maker was out in the early 2000s that I started creating videos.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
The Wizard of Oz.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other
festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking
career?

I am fairly new to the filmmaking world and would like to understand how one gets their film into Public Television circulation and on streaming platforms.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your
experiences been working on the festival platform site?

Wonderful.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Vegetarian Pho

11. What is next for you? A new film?

This film is the first in a series of at least three documentary shorts, which all focus on our connection with each other and other beings on the planet. The next film will focus on sound.