Dodge Alumni Take A Stand Against Landmines with New Film

What if you were stranded with someone you didn’t necessarily get along with, and had to work together in order to survive? What if, on top of that, you added in the threat of landmines hidden beneath the ground, threatening your every move?

Director Cosmos Kiindarius (BFA/Film Production ’03) brings this story to life in [Stand]. It’s a compelling tale of brothers trapped in the jungles of modern day Vietnam, which is still littered by land mines. Not only is the film itself great, but it also carries a message to help raise awareness of the danger of landmines in present-day Vietnam.

“We started with the concept of this relationship between two brothers and the inherent drama in their family dynamic. Then we looked for the scenario we wanted to put them in. It was very important to me that the film was interesting beyond the ‘gimmick’ of the land mines. I believe our drama is strong enough that it could really be set anywhere and have just a strong an impact. That gave us the freedom to then address the issue of land mines with having to go over the top or become preachy with our message,” says Kiindarius.

In fact, a portion of the proceeds from the film are going to Clear Path International, an organization that assists civilian victims of war in post-conflict zones, to help raise awareness about the issue.

Though Kiindarius is the director, he had plenty of help from other Chapman alumni to help make his film a reality. Having family in Taiwan, he knew he wanted to shoot there. Once the script was completed by Spence Griffeth, they set out to make it a reality.

Kiindarius was helped along the way by Christopher Osbrink (BFA/Film Production ’05) as producer, Andrew G. Mueller (BFA/Film Production ’04) as cinematographer, and Crystal House (BFA/Film Production ’04) as the editor. The team traveled to Taiwan, and posted an ad on an online forum looking for additional crew members. From that ad, they pulled together an international crew that all happened to be in Taiwan at the time. One of which was even an Chapman Alumni…just not from Dodge College!

They managed to keep the budget low by gathering this worldly crew right in Taiwan. They mananged to complete the filming itself in about a month’s time before heading back to LA for post-production.

The project itself attracted all of these Chapman alumni together for various reasons.

“There were several reasons why I wanted to produce [Stand], but mostly it was because of Cosmos,” said Osbrink. “He’s a very talented writer, and an equally hard worker. In school you find mentors, you learn a lot about theory, story, technical skills, honing your craft and running a team. But film is a collaborative medium. And it takes a “crew” of people to make one person’s vision a collaborative reality. If you learn anything in film school, I recommend you learn to check your ego at the door and nurture the relationships you have with the people by your side.”

“Our budget also meant that we had a number of fresh and amateur crew members,” said Mueller. “This took me back to my days as a student. I was encouraged to see the excitement that comes with stepping on a film set for the first time.”

Kiindarius, however, summed up the experience best.

“[Stand] is an incredibly personal film to be because of the global effect that land mines have on underprivileged and underrepresented populations in modern cinema. Being on the other side of completing my first feature film as a Director, I’m really grateful for the relationships that I made with other students while at Chapman, because without those people this film never could have been made.”

You can learn more about the film on
its Facebook page
.