Gillian Zinser Reminds Us of the Power of Communion in Short Film 'PAUSE'
Short film 'PAUSE' directed by Lief's Gillian Zinser gives voice to all corners of New York City on finding joy and connection while in isolation, agreeing that 'There's a lot of freedom in solitude'.
The film came out of a need to re-direct anxiety during lockdown and was put together during the height of the pandemic. Gillian took the challenge to create something from the confines of a couch and try to reflect this unique duality of both extreme isolation and extraordinary connectivity in NYC during this Covid-19 crisis.
Every day during the lockdown period, Zinser's friend Adam Kenworthy went out filming the city. Zinser was taken aback by the juxtaposition in his imagery of such surreal, desolate city streets and then these profound moments of incredible humanity captured outside of hospitals. In collaboration with Lindsay Van Dyke, they set to interviewing a handful of their friends, as well as found strangers across the country, simply asking them how they were feeling, and letting the dialogue flow from there.
Zinser comments “While we're being forced to re-calibrate, both as individuals and as a society at large, this moment is demanding we create a new paradigm shift in the way we take care of each other. We hope this film helps pay tribute to the unprecedented weight of these dark times, but also acknowledges and celebrates the undeniable strength of our community and the resilience of this city’s inimitable spirit."
