Working on set with my incredibly talented cast and crew, in the picturesque seaside landscape of Northern England, not to mention the many grueling days, weeks, and months spent in post-production-it all added up to an unforgettable adventure of quite epic proportions. Making this short film was a tremendously rewarding experience. IR strives to honor their experiences, by offering a spiritual perspective on the struggles of those who survive, and on the fate of the souls of the fallen. IR also pays homage to the terrible mental and emotional toll borne by soldiers returning from war: 20 veterans commit suicide every single day in the United States alone, and as many as 20 out of every 100 vets suffer from PTSD. I owe my everlasting appreciation for this specific inspiration to my husband, Arnold, a philosopher and independent researcher into metaphysics and the ultimate nature of reality. Rather, IR seeks to illustrate the very personal and ultimately intimate process of discovering the severed threads in a deceased’s unfinished life, so as to find that one particular thing, such as a project, that was most important to them – their central task left incomplete due to their untimely death. It neither speaks from a religious perspective, nor tries to provide a substitute for any one belief system we take recourse in during times of tragedy. Thus the story of IR combines these elements, revolving around a real-life fatal friendly fire incident, which I adapted and fictionalized in order to provide a glimpse into the immense tragedy and spiritual devastation such situations entail.Īt its core, Icarus Rising is about Guilt and Redemption. I’ve also been fascinated with flight since childhood, having grown up in Vienna, Austria, where women were not allowed to join the military, otherwise I would have joined its Air Force.
I am a publisher of ancient Greek philosophy, and my interests and passions have always focused on ways of making the wisdom of ancient thinkers, such as Parmenides, Plato, and Plotinus, accessible and relevant to a wider audience-anyone seeking answers to the bigger questions and wondering about the reasons for our existence. When I reached out to Tom we connected instantly-it was not only the start of a remarkable friendship, but he personally, as well as his art, ended up playing a central role in IR. A search for statues depicting Icarus led me to the incredibly talented sculptor, Tom Maley, who lives and works in Northumberland (just south of Scotland). I was so moved by the scene, and its contemplation opened a floodgate to ideas and storylines-especially about Icarus, Daedalus’ son in the Greek myth. It was in front of its imposing building, looking up at the statue of the Fleet Air Arm Memorial, that lightning struck: The memorial depicts Daedalus in the form of a modern-day pilot who is reflecting on his fallen comrades. My walk, quite unintentionally, led me to the Ministry of Defense. Searching for a topic that would be true to my core, I wandered the streets of London, looking for a spark.
This, in and of itself, was a stunning realization. I had spent most of my life in the corporate world, where separating fact from fiction was key, and so I found it strangely difficult to conjure an imaginary scenario. The task of showcasing, in a (mini) short film, everything we had learned over the course of the program was initially a huge challenge to me. Icarus Rising (IR) had its genesis in a moment of transcending inspiration I experienced at the end of an introductory course in filmmaking in London-Ealing, back in 2014.
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