Hastings receives state grant for film project

Department of Visual Arts and New Media Associate Professor Phil Hastings was recently been awarded a $10,000 New York State Council for the Arts' Individual Artist Grant for his current film project, “Tether.”

The film is described as an experimental narrative feature-length film that unravels the complex knot of individual and universal experiences of the global pandemic. Associate Professor Hastings noted the film draws inspiration from society’s use of mediated technologies, such as telephones, texting and video chatting, to facilitate interpersonal connections and its inability to fully connect through these same mediated technologies.

He added, “the struggle between isolation and interconnectedness anchors ‘Tether’ to the here and now but mirrors these same struggles throughout history.” The film was conceived at the beginning of the pandemic, and was intended to be an exploration on how isolation affects the creative processes.

“Traditional filmmaking is historically a collaborative process but as we went into lockdown I wanted to see how much I could do on my own. I was curious to see if I could create something on a much larger scale than I usually do while advancing my skill sets. A lot of us took up new hobbies during the initial lockdown. This was part of my own therapy,” said Hastings.

Even though lockdowns have been lifted, Hastings is continuing the challenge he set out for himself. He continues to work on the film by himself, filling all roles in front of and behind the camera, including building the films set in his basement. “There are certainly times when I miss the collaborative experience, but I think to fully explore this character and story the isolation is important.” Hastings said he’s interested in exploring the ephemeral and hardwired connections that society purposefully makes, and the ones it doesn’t know about. He added they will all play roles in understanding the main character and shed light on who people might be as individuals and a society.

Hastings' project has received a number of grants including a Fredonia Summer Research and Creative Activity award, a New York Foundations for the Arts, Keep New York Creating award, in addition to the NYSCA Individual Artist Grant, which is a $10,000 award. “The recognition that this project has earned through these grants is humbling. Having this type of support is invaluable to my creative endeavors as a filmmaker working outside of a traditional narrative process. With these resources I hope to offer an experience that reflects and explores our collective experiences, and maybe help make some sense of it.”