A BLACK RIFT BEGINS TO YAWN
dir. Matthew Wade, 2021
102 min. USA
In English
FRIDAY, 2/4 – 7:30PM WITH REMOTE Q&A! (this event is $10)
SATURDAY, 2/12 – 10PM
SATURDAY, 2/19 – 10PM
FRIDAY, 2/25 – 10PM WITH REMOTE Q&A! (this event is $10)
A BLACK RIFT BEGINS TO YAWN (Matthew Wade, 2021) from Spectacle on Vimeo.
Two scientists come into possession of their recently-deceased professor’s set of cassette tapes. As the former classmates dig into the recordings, they begin to feel memory, time and their identities slip into obscurity.
A no-budget feature filmed entirely in Idaho by a small group of friends, A Black Rift Begins to Yawn is a tone poem that drifts through perceptions of identity, one’s place in the universe, and how we contextualize ourselves and those around us. It follows two former classmates-turned-scientists who dig back into the mysterious work of a former professor after he has left them his archives: tapes that may contain recordings of ancient signals from beyond the stars.
The film premiered at Slamdance ’21, where it took home an Honorable Mention from the jury who noted the film’s strong esthetic choices and specifically the collaboration between director, Matthew Wade and first-time cinematographer, Lila Streicher. It also won best Pacific Northwest Film at the Tacoma Film Festival and was the feature film selected to screen at the first live event back at NewFilmmakers Los Angeles in January 2022.
Matthew Wade is an illustrator, animator, filmmaker & musician from the Northwest United States. He studied Classical Animation at Vancouver Film School before working as a freelance commercial animator in LA for brands such as Footlocker, Vans, Apple, Target, SyFy Channel, Whole Foods, Patagonia, the NFL, and on music videos for the bands Good Times Ahead (formerly G.T.A.), Brockhampton, and more.
Matthew’s short films have premiered in Oscar-qualifying festival competitions including Slamdance (4 times) and San Francisco International Film Festival, as well as having screened around the world, including ExGround, Alchemy Film & Arts, Oak Cliff Film Festival, Maryland Film Festival, Sun Valley Film Festival, GIRAF, and at the Hollywood Arclight Cinema’s (R.I.P) Slamdance Presents series.
Matthew’s work has been covered in Filmmaker Magazine, Film Threat, Screen Anarchy, NoBudge, Cartoon Brew, Hammer to Nail, Brooklyn Magazine, Horror Buzz, The Journal of Religion & Film, Moviemaker Magazine, and more.
Matthew currently lives with his wife/producing partner, Sara Lynch, in the Pacific Northwest, USA.