Vita Brevis Films has traveled the world in search of subjects that would otherwise go undocumented. Forgotten trades, unlikely ambitions, communities living outside the frame of mainstream attention. The short form gives these stories room to breathe without forcing them to become something they aren't.
Our documentary work has screened at Slamdance Film Festival, aired on public radio and television, and earned multiple Vimeo Staff Picks. Every subject gets the same treatment: find the real story first, then build the film around it.
We produce short documentaries for broadcast, streaming, public media, festivals, and institutional clients. We also develop and produce independent subjects when the story warrants it. If you have a subject you believe deserves a film, we're interested in hearing about it.
Slamdance Film Festival — Grand Jury Prize, Best Documentary Short. Multiple Vimeo Staff Picks. Productions for ESPN, KUER RadioWest, and VideoWest. Work shot across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific.
None of these subjects arrived as a pitch. Each one had to be found and argued for and then worked out. How do you shoot a fifty-foot fall from a tree. How do you film five strangers explaining why they'd leave Earth for good. The solution is usually specific to that one story and no other.