WOODWORK

An estranged couple makes a desperate bid for survival in a condemned forest.

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ABOUT THE PROJECT

THE STORY

Set in the not-so-distant future, WOODWORK tells the story of Thomas and Carmen, two black revolutionaries who are forced to process their break-up amidst a violent offensive by an animalistic, militarized police squadron.

When Thomas, an Atlanta native with family ties to this forest, returns to their make-shift treehouse after a doomed mission, he is faced with the reality that his partner Carmen is moving out – and fleeing the rebellion. Carmen, a seasoned veteran of direct action protests, has seen the telltale signs that the resistance has fallen, and aims to escape with her life before the police kill again.

A conflict-within-a-conflict, WOODWORK explores the parallels between the dual defeats: their failed relationship and the floundering resistance. If Thomas and Carmen can learn to see one another more clearly, there may yet be hope on both fronts.

COMMITMENT TO HUMANITY & INCLUSIVITY

In the wake of the 2020 protests, cities across the country have mobilized to tighten the noose upon the neck of civil disobedience. In Atlanta, state and local agencies have undemocratically moved to raze a historic forest in a black neighborhood to develop a first-of-its-kind training compound, complete with a mock city, to further militarize local police. The people have taken to calling it Cop City.

Activists from near and far have occupied Weelaunee Forest to protest the imminent construction. Unsurprisingly, certain media have been weaponized against these Forest Defenders, dubbing them ‘outside agitators’ ‘or domestic terrorists.’

More surprisingly, prominent black leaders in the ‘Civil Rights Capitol’ have echoed this language that is all too reminiscent of Jim Crow rhetoric against groups like the Freedom Riders. A grotesque irony that could give way to a dystopian conflict.

When we find ways to strip people of their humanity, we make it more palatable to inflict inhumane violence upon them.

WOODWORK aims to lend this protest a familiar face, centering a truly relatable human conflict at the heart of the Defend the Forest movement. These revolutionaries are doing the hard, back-breaking work required to stand up to an overwhelming assault by the police and corporate interests.

But beneath that, they're just people.

THE TEAM

Pineapple Cut Pictures is a three-time Emmy Award-winning production company established in 2017. Our films explore the magic behind reality, and shed light on underrepresented narratives.

THE DIRECTOR