A Short Documentary About a Giant Pencil

DIRECTOR(S):
Daniel Straub
CAST:
John Higgins, Amy Higgins, Curtis Ingvoldstad
PRODUCER(S):
Austin Straub, Daniel Straub, Bryce Cyrier
CINEMATOGRAPHER(S):
Austin Straub
EDITOR(S):
Austin Straub
COMPOSER(S):
James Ellington
SYNOPSIS:

Two Minneapolis homeowners and a chainsaw sculptor shape meaning (and a 20-foot-tall pencil) from the twisted trunk of a fallen oak tree. But this pencil isn’t meant to last. Every year, thousands gather to sacrifice a part of the pencil in a sharpening ceremony and, in the process, renew the collective promise to “do something.”

Presented as Part Of Documentary Shorts 2026: Program 2

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