Dir. Brock Labrenz’s trailer for William Forsythe’s Nowhere and Everywhere at the Same Time Trailer. Featuring performer Brock Labrenz at the 2011 Taipei Arts Festival with cinematography by Lance Chen.

Full HD Version of dir. Brock Labrenz’s Soir Bleu, one of the five films that make up Impermanent Collection: The Whitney Museum of American Art (2007). This film features Charly Totterwitz as a crazed art fan caught in the Whitney bathrooms trying to recreate Edward Hopper’s Soir Bleu. The film features original music by Ryan Billia and additional music by Brian McKenna.

1901 premiered on October 20th at the Lucerne International Film Festival in Lucerne, Switzerland. For more information visit the festival’s website.

Film Description:

Brock Labrenz directs 1901, the story of one woman’s (Charlotte) life-defining struggle to confront her desire for another woman (Renee). Labrenz’s lyrical approach to story-telling makes palpable the connection and budding sensuality between our two main characters.  Charlotte is torn between passion and propriety, but as she wanders through the woods, the enveloping sights and sounds of nature slowly etch away her fears, and with each step, bring her closer to her true self.  The transparent high-definition footage and hand-held camera work interweave themes of modern impetuosity and classical elegance, revealing a timeless undercurrent of longing and fulfillment.  1901 guides us through the spiritual journey of one woman, bravely reassessing her identity, as she ascends into a new century.

Film Synopsis:

At the turn of the last century, Charlotte, a wife and mother, walks the grounds of an expansive country estate and happens upon the beautiful Renee.  Charlotte is terrified by her uncontrollable desire for the young woman and her attempts to escape lead her deep into the surrounding forest.  Lost, Charlotte is forced to confront her fears and must rely on Renee to help her find her way back. 1901 is the story of one woman’s courage to embrace her fantasies and follow love into an unknown future.

Producers: Natalie Thomas, Dorottya Mathe, Brock Labrenz

Director: Brock Labrenz

Executive Producer: Edward Leung

Associate Producer: Laine Rettmer

Director of Photography: Bliss Holloway

Cast: Natalie Thomas, Laine Rettmer, Jeremy Goren and Ethen Halper

Costume Designer: Elisa Santiago

Catering by: Heather and Brad Thomason

Original Music: Brad Stratton

Supervising Sound Editor: Ryan Billia

1901 is made possible by generous individual donations and Kickstarter.

SING FOR HOPE: POP-UP PIANOS 2011
Production – An Films
Director – Brock Labrenz
Producer – Dorottya Mathe
Associate Producer – Natalie Thomas
Cinematographers – Bradley Grant, Bliss Holloway
Sound Engineers – Marin Fanjoy-Labrenz, Justin B. Harrison, Craig Slon
Music – Tony Lustig Quartet recorded live performing Duke Ellington’s “Single Petal of a Rose” live at the Pop-Up Pianos 2011 Closing Concert

An Films spent 5 weeks in Northern China on research & development for the script, as well as shooting a trailer, for its proposed feature-film, Chinaland. Directed by Brock Labrenz, the trailer features performances from Natalie Thomas and Sang Jijia; original music by Brian McKenna of Btoven Music; sound design & mix by Ryan Billia with additional music by Brad Stratton of BANG; and title design by Mark Weber.

The ensuing script follows Alyssa, a New York gallery owner, as she attempts to escape her own identity by putting her life in the hands of an illicit Chinese cultural fantasy service. But when the service’s CEO substitutes himself into her fantasy in lieu of the pre-selected male lover, a steamy love affair ensues. Reality and fantasy collide, and the service’s elaborate made-to-order village has to be shut down. Abandoned and bewildered, Alyssa is forced to find her bearings in modern China and track down the lover who betrayed her. Along the way, she must contend with whether she’s seeking revenge, or just holding onto a lost fantasy.

National Geographic Channel’s
After the Spill: The Last Catch

Written & Directed By: Jonathan Stack & Saralena Weinfield

Edited By: Brock Labrenz

Full HD Version of dir. Brock Labrenz’s Hemlock, one of the five films that make up Impermanent Collection: The Whitney Museum of American Art (2007). The film is Thea Little’s abstract evocation of Joan Mitchell’s Hemlock set in the Whitney’s western stairwell. With original music composed and performed by Thea Little.

Dir. Brock Labrenz short film featuring Natalie Thomas and Sang Jijia with music by Tim Evans.

Dir. Brock Labrenz short film featuring Natalie Thomas and Sang Jijia with music by Tim Evans.

Fighting Malaria: It Takes A Whole Planet To Defeat A Parasite

A million deaths a year, $40 billion in lost revenue, a continent debilitated by its impact; yet against all odds, the effort to combat one of the world’s deadliest diseases continues, improving the lives and livelihoods of millions.

Fighting Malaria is a proposed documentary project, by filmmakers Jonathan Stack and Brock Labrenz, that tells the story of the greatest health intervention in human history and uses new media to achieve its goals and reach the broadest possible audience.

Dir. Brock Labrenz’s commercial for Piedmont School of Music and Dance with cinematography by Bliss Holloway and animated graphics by Jack Mosher.

Dir. Brock Labrenz’s spot for Taipei’s Café Sole; produced by Hao-Chun Yang with cinematography by Victor Stevenson.

Dir. Brock Labrenz’s commercial for Piedmont School of Music and Dance with cinematography by Bliss Holloway and animated graphics by Jack Mosher.

Full HD version of dir. Brock Labrenz’s Chair Story. The film features Bernhardt Design’s latest chair, Corvo, designed by Noe Duchaufour-Lawrance.

Full HD version of dir. Brock Labrenz’s Chair Story. The film features Bernhardt Design’s latest chair, Corvo, designed by Noe Duchaufour-Lawrance.

“One of the most enchanting videos ever documenting the birth of a chair”- Fast company.com

Trailer of dir. Brock Labrenz’s film of the Greenwich Music Festival’s performance of Viktor Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis (2010).

Trailer of dir. Brock Labrenz’s film of the Greenwich Music Festival’s performance of Viktor Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis (2010).

The production was captured in vivid HD video by filmmaker Brock Labrenz and features the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) and soloists from the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Opera Australia and La Scala with music and stage direction by festival co-founders Robert Ainsley and Ted Huffman.

The film premiered at the 2010 Westchester Jewish Film Festival.

Excerpt from the dance film Vesper, dir. Brock Labrenz with choreography from Brock Labrenz and Terra Firma’s Stuart Loungway. Featuring dancers Lydia Haug and Lester Badenoch with cinematography by Bliss Holloway and original music by Brian McKenna.

Originally a half-evening length abstract dance theater work,  Vesper premiered in central New Jersey Fall 2009.  The work was choreographed by Brock Labrenz and Stuart Loungway of Terra Firma and featured dancers Lester Badenoch, Rosalia Chann, Brittany Fridenstine-Keefe, Lydia Haug, Matthew Keefe, Jonathan Royse Windham. Featuring cinematography by Bliss Holloway and original music by Brian McKenna.

A film version of the piece, directed by Brock Labrenz, premiered at the Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema in Barcelona, Spain in Summer 2010.  Vesper also screened at the San Souci Festival of Dance Cinema at the Atlas Institute in Boulder, Colorado. Check out the festival’s website for more information: SansSouciFest.org

Excerpt from dir. Brock Labrenz’s quick cell phone flick, Loose Constraint (2009).

Excerpt from dir. Brock Labrenz’s quick cell phone flick, Loose Constraint (2009).

Excerpt from dir. Brock Labrenz’s, Make Series (2007).

This is a short excerpt from parts 1 & 4 of Make Series (2007) directed by Brock Labrenz featuring Matthew Brookoff and James Labrenz.

Excerpt from Dorottya Mathe’s Devoted To Dance (2010), a documentary about Hungarian choreographer Ivan Marko, filmed by Brock Labrenz during a live performance of Marko’s Scheherazade.

Excerpt from dir. Brock Labrenz’s documentary about visual artist Edward Vilga (2008).

Excerpt from dir. Brock Labrenz’s documentary about North Carolina’s Adult Life Programs (2008).

Excerpt from dir. Brock Labrenz’s documentary about North Carolina’s Adult Life Programs (2008).

In 2010, Brock was awarded the National Adult Day Services Association’s Media Award for his work on the the documentary.

Excerpt from part 3 of dir. Brock Labrenz’s Make Series (2007).

Excerpt from dir. Brock Labrenz’s Makena (2005).

Impermanent Collection: The Whitney Museum of American Art, directed by Brock Labrenz, written by Brennan Gerard and Ryan Kelly, are a series of films created for and in response to the Whitney Museum of American Art. In total we created five video portraits that resonate the experience of five performers reacting to five works of art from the Whitney’s permanent collection.

Selected stills from 2003-2008.

Excerpt from dir. Brock Labrenz’s iPhone Hysteria (2007) spot created for Popsci.com with cinematography from Bradley Grant and music by Brian McKenna.