HOME, 30min,. USA
Directed by Sue Schroeder, Adam Larsen
Filmed in France and Poland, Larsen and Schroeder, alongside an international community of gifted artists - from Columbia, France, Germany, Israel, Poland and the US- seek to create connection, impact, and meaning through a visually rich and poetic experience of beauty and loss, tenderness and urgency, action and recognition, mirroring and magnifying light. The work is gentle and steadfast, sharing and protecting life and in its surest moments, revealing the “we”, instead of the “I”.

Get to know filmmaker Sue A. Schroeder:

What motivated you to make this film?

Adam Larsen and I have collaborated on a number of projects with one or the other of us taking the lead. For HOME, we chose to start with a "shared" idea, tied to our kindred artistic vision – beauty and nature. An urgency developed as the climate crisis raged on. Activating empathy in our viewers, a "felt" sense became all the more important – hence the personal stories and human figure within the film.

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

We initiated the film prior to Covid – mid-2019. Then the shooting came to a halt. We picked up again in late 2021 and premiered in October 2022.

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

Beauty & Loss

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Covid

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

Curiosity and amazement – how each viewer has their individual experience of the film and yet all are true.

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

Adam and I have made films throughout our careers, most notably over the last 15 years.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

Like Water for Chocolate (Sue), I can't speak for Adam (😊)

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

It all comes down to people experiencing the work and from there seed funding is possible. A personal recommendation to other festivals is super helpful.

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

It's great. Easy and a central location for a large part of the film festival world.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Breakfast! Beginning the day well nourished!

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

I just completed & premiered 2 short films, breath (https://www.coredance.org/breath-at-bmcm-ac) which will become a performance installation in 2026) and I am a word and also its echo (https://www.coredance.org/word-echo a collaboration with Portuguese filmmaker and composer, Nuno Veiga). Now my focus is on the curation of my first exhibition at Leicester Gallery in Britian which opens in February 2026. Adam is working on 2 documentaries – Neurotypical 2 https://www.hum-bar.com/documentary/neurotypical/ and WORK – as well as Access Point, a hybrid documentary/immersive installation (all connected to giving voice to people with disabilities). Adam is also developing The Pinecone, https://www.hum-bar.com/direction/pinecone/ a mobile 360-degree projection venue designed to bring immersive cinematic experiences to new audiences. We would be honored to share more about these projects!