My wife Dina Torrans and I were excited be part of the recent first Wonder Valley Film Festival with a screening at The Palms on March 1, 2023. I wrote an intro to be read by Dina at the screening as I could not attend. The following is what she read:
The first thing that came to my mind after finishing this little visual poem of ours was that I finally got to use skills from my film degree earned oh those many decades ago! Staring At The Light is a love letter to our Wonder Valley Desert home - which has indeed become a home to us.
The landscape of this special place calms my mind, stills my heart and blows me wide open to the scene. The friendships we have made, the fellowship we have shared, the winds, the dance of the sand whirling like a dervish and blowing like rain, the sudden torrential and always surprising downpours transforming the dry parched ground to temporary oasis, the all-embracing and unbearable heat of summer and those sweet cool nights nights of fall and spring, the music making with creative fellow desert friends, the unexpected treasures and hidden life of this place all inform what you are about to see or have just seen. I hope something of which I am describing comes through this short sharing. Peace and Love.
We recommend listening with headphones if possible. The soundtrack is by The Mojave Sound Collective. You can choose to watch it here or in Full Screen directly on YouTube. For a higher resolution experience click on the gear icon and play it at 1440P. Another interesting fact - this was shot entirely on an iPhone.