Benjamin Moss, a middle manager at a shadowy corporation, is just following orders when he accepts an important mission to hunt down stolen documents. When he arrives at a mysterious town where many of the inhabitants have vanished, he is forced to confront the devastating consequences of his work and must choose whether to continue to obey his messianic boss.

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SYNOPSIS

Benjamin Moss (MATTHEW RAUCH), assistant manager in the Records Department of Black House Securities, is sent on a mission to a mysterious and barren rural landscape. There he crosses paths with eleven-year-old Jonathan Gardner (JAN UCZKOWSKI), a boy who is beginning to wake up to the dark forces devastating his town. Ben confronts the truth behind his company's work and must choose whether to continue to obey his messianic boss (LARRY SWANSEN).

ABOUT THE FILM

"The Absence" is writer/director Alex DeMille's MFA thesis film project for UCLA film school. The ambitious project brought together talented individuals, both student and professional, from the New York and Los Angeles film communities. Shot primarily on location in eastern Long Island, the film was aided by the generous donation of locations, including Oheka Castle in Huntington and several local farms in Southhold.

The script won the Colin Higgins Film Director's Screenplay Award and the Deluxe Film Award. The project has also benefitted from the generosity of many vendors including Fuji Film and Technicolor.

"The Absence" was selected to premiere in the Opening Night of UCLA's Festival of New Creative Work. At the ceremony, the film was presented with awards for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Visual Design.

The film's cinematographer, Dagmar Weaver-Madsen, was presented with the prestigious ASC William A. Fraker Heritage Award at the 25th Annual ASC Awards for her work on the film. Each year the award is given out to one undergraduate and one graduate student to recognize outstanding cinematography in student work, as well as to honor the memory of a deceased ASC member.

The film has gone on to win awards at multiple festivals nationwide, most recently winning Best Film at the Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival.