Eve Ensler 'And Then We Were Jumping'

When Strange Beast director Jordan Bruner  was approached by Tony Award winning playwright, performer and women’s rights activist Eve Ensler, to bring one of her recent poems “Then We Were Jumping”, to life, it was an easy decision for the young director:

“I'm a long-time admirer of Eve's work and activism, so I was really excited to have this opportunity. The poem is so powerful and moving and the imagery so strong, I felt we could create something really unique and beautiful together,” said Jordan.

And Then We Were Jumping from Jordan Bruner on Vimeo.

Ensler is best known for penning the ever-popular “Vagina Monologues,” which has seen wide spread popularity among college campuses, off-Broadway theaters, and on London’s West End. The success of the Vagina Monologues inspired Eve to begin the V-Day campaign to end violence against women. In conjunction with the 15th anniversary on February 14th, 2013, V-Day launched its most ambitious campaign to date: One Billion Rising. On this day, one billion people came together across the globe to demand an end to violence against women. On February 14th of this year, however, Eve and V-Day are escalating their efforts to demand justice in gender violence.

Over the summer, Ensler wrote a poem about her relationship with her father and felt Jordan’s raw and whimsical style could help visualize her story in a way she could share with her followers: 

“When I wrote "And Then we were Jumping" I had a sense it would work well as an animated film.  Jordan totally realized this vision with her mystical, original, humorous, gorgeous art. She made a film which is both a dream and a poetic call for justice,” said Eve.

The film was created with a small team of animators and was a true labour of love. Jordan’s brother Barry Bruner , currently a featured artist on Strange Beast’s Feeding the Beast showcase, helped with the character design for the project. 

In two weeks’ time, people from all over the world will “Rise, Release, Dance, and demand Justice,” during the second annual One Billion Rising For Justice. More information on the campaign and Jordan’s film and designs for “And Then We Were Jumping,” can be found here

Credits

Director & Designer : Jordan Bruner

Additional Designer : Barry Bruner

Lead Animator : Greg Lytle

Additional animation: Barry Bruner

Jordan Bruner

Diana Chao

Krystal Downs

Alessandro Echevarria

Olivia Grey Marcontell

Claire van Ryzin

Ken Siu

Compositing:  Jordan Bruner

Sound:  Nelly Kate 

Produce: r Angela Foster

Executive Producer : Belinda Blacklock