2024
Death of the Eternals
6 Min 32 seconds, 2k Digital, archival
Using archival film and contemporary digital footage, “Death of the Eternals” places cypress trees, felled long ago, in conversation with descendants threatened by salt water intrusion and continued logging practices. Known as “the wood eternal” due to its insect- and rot-resistant properties, cypress trees in Louisiana are now (somewhat) protected on state-owned property thanks to a law passed in 2021 banning harvesting on more than 1 million acres of state land. Unfolding in reverse, this experimental horror speaks to the violence perpetrated on the land then and now in the name of capitalism.
DIRECTED AND EDITED BY
Jane Geisler
Cinematography by
A. Hennen Payne
Archival Footage from
The Historic New Orleans Collection