If you’ve been wondering what all the fuss is about the innovative new short film from Sweetgrass Productions, “Afterglow,” you can now watch the full edit for yourself for free.

Phillips Television backed the film to promote its new Ambilight TV technology, and that top-tier support provided the budget necessary for Sweetgrass to try things never before attempted, such as lighting up remote mountainsides at night and sewing thousands of LEDs into the ski suits of Pep Fujas and Eric Hjorleifson to shred the Alaskan backcountry while creating a sort of human-made Aurora Borealis. Just hauling around 9,000 pounds of film gear made for all sorts of logistical challenges involving airplanes, helicopters and sleds, as this article by Jacob Schiller for Wired Magazine explains.

The resulting film, directed by Nick Waggoner and Mike Brown and also starring Chris Benchetler and Daron Rahlves, actually doesn’t vary too much in content from the shred film cliche, with the usual corny voice-over narrative, pristine snow and outrageously talented skiers. But in form and visual style, “Afterglow” creates an alluring beauty well worth watching and admiring, a meditation on light and motion that seems at times to have emerged directly from the world of dreams.

Here is a short taste featuring the LED segment:

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And here is a link to the full 12-minute version of Sweetgrass’s “Afterglow,” available for free viewing at a website set up by the project’s sponsor, Phillips TV.

Last modified: October 20, 2014