After Forever

Lena Kuzmich received a grant for the development of new work. After Forever centres on a 40-minute hybrid science-fiction film combining live action and animation. The film explores death and decomposition as processes of transformation, asking where the boundaries between human bodies, other forms of life, and the material world begin to dissolve. It follows a protagonist whose encounter with decay unsettles their perception of the boundary between their body and the world around them. As their body begins to disintegrate, they become aware of how human life is connected to other biological life, and how matter moves between organisms through decay. Drawing on body horror and science fiction, the film approaches death not as an ending, but as transformation. During development, Lena wants to focus on writing the screenplay and developing the protagonist, story and visual world. The film grows from her artistic research into more-than-human perspectives, while moving towards a more narrative and character-driven form of filmmaking.

Lena is a visual artist and filmmaker working between moving image, bio-art and installation. In their artistic practice, Lena explores how our understanding of the world can be reconfigured through various modes of biological existence. Their work draws on diverse artistic mediums as gateways to connect with more-than-human worlds, creating portals to notice worlds within worlds. As a co-founder of the collective Transformative Narratives, Lena facilitates audiovisual performances and interdisciplinary collaborations. Blurring the boundaries between science and fiction, and between human and non-human domains, their work invites viewers to inhabit speculative worlds in the making.