A Star in the Desert

Synopsis

A Star in the Desert is a dramatic fantastical film about the first day of the Gulf War in Baghdad told from a 7-year-old child's point of view, as he comes to terms with his new reality. The film explores how children often retreat to fantasy and dreamscape in order to make sense of what’s happening around them during times of tragedy and conflict.

In the short film, "A Star In the Desert", there is a universal message about human suffering and using denial and imagination to escape reality as a coping mechanism during a time of tragedy and fear.

Escapism is often the answer to much of human suffering and fear today. When our external reality is so painful and terrifying, we are often conditioned to find ways to escape through alcohol, relationships, status, power, dreams, and more that take us away from the present moment.

Whether we escape through our imagination or through external influences, the core theme is denial - and turning away from what is painful and scary, which often begets more pain & suffering.

We wanted the audience to really feel what is going on in the mind of a child who is coming to terms with his situation at such a young age.

The boy slips in and out of dream state where his reality is a nightmare but his dreams are hauntingly beautiful and magical and become a window into a better life. In a sense, he is caught in between two worlds.

This story and the corresponding message could take place in any war zone, and in any place in the world. Our goal is to capture the reactions of a child who is faced with tragedy and create a dialogue about human suffering and escapism.

Director's Biography

Zachary Kerschberg Director

Zachary Kerschberg ​is an award-winning narrative and documentary filmmaker from California. He has lived and worked in South America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. His films have screened at the Cannes Film Festival, SXSW, Raindance and the New York Film Festival, among others. He produced the short film ​A CIAMBRA,​which won the Sony Discovery Prize at the 53rd Semaine de la Critique in Cannes, and wrote, directed and produced ​SEEING THE FULL SOUNDING​which won the Best Short American Documentary award at the 2015 American Documentary Film Festival. His films have screened nationally on PBS and cable networks. Zach has worked with leading actors such as Chloé Sevigny, Logan Marshall-Green, James Franco, Marina Abramovic, Olek Krupa, Marylouise Burke, Khaled Abol Naga, and Sara Abi Kanaan. Zach is a recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship to the UAE, where he taught screenwriting and filmmaking at the Dubai Men’s College. He is also the recipient of a National Board of Review Grant, a Janowsky Award, a Wasserman Award, and an Agosto Foundation Residency. He is an alum of the Berlinale Talent Campus and was an SF Filmhouse resident in 2018. He holds an honors B.A. from UC Berkeley in Romance Languages and Literatures, and MFAs in Dramatic Writing and Film Production, from New York University’s TISCH School of the Arts. Selected Filmography 2017 ​A CIAMBRA​– a feature narrative (120min) - Unit Production Manager 2015 ​BLACK DOG RED DOG​- feature narrative (70 min) - Writer/ Director 2015 ​SEEING THE FULL SOUNDING - s​hort documentary (30 min) - Writer / Director/ Producer 2013 ​BEAUTY FACTORY​- feature documentary (85 min) - Writer/ Director/ Producer 2011 ​THE GRIOT - ​feature documentary (80 min) - Writer Selected Awards Sony Discovery Prize, Semaine de la Critique - Cannes Winner: AmDocs, Woodstock, Harlem, Miami, Beirut, Canada, Long Island, Black Hills, Mexico, Independent Film Quarterly, Toronto Arthouse, among others.