The document provides background information on the short film TYRFING, including a synopsis, the director's statement, and selected biographies of the cast and crew. The synopsis describes the cursed Norse sword TYRFING and how a valiant Viking duels a berserker raider wielding the sword to protect his beloved. The director's statement discusses using violence in storytelling and exploring the boundaries of violence through a reinterpretation of a Scandinavian myth about a two-fisted Viking tale.

2. synopsis
TYRFINGisdoom.
NorsefolklorewhispersofthecursedswordTYRFING,doom toallwho
wielditanddeathtoallwhofaceit.Safeguardingthehonorofhisbeloved,
avaliantvikingduelsaberserkraiderwhocommandsthedamnablesteel.
AshortfilmbyStephenPolakiewicz.

4. director’sstatement
Violencemakesviolence.
ThesymbolOuroboros,theserpenteatingitsowntail,iscommonly
interpretedasself-creation,orrebirth,orthatfromdeathcomeslife.Isee
itdifferently;acycleofviolencecorruptsyourhumanityandleavesonly
entropy,blackness,nothing.
JustJustasviolenceiscyclical,soisstorytelling.Everythingisare-mix.Having
anaffinityforsuperheroes,mythsandsymbology,Iwantedtoburrow
deeperintolegendsthataren’tattheforefrontofAmericancultureto
uneartha“new”myth(oratleastanewtomemyth).Iwantedthismythto
besomethingthatcouldbejuxtaposedwiththecyclicalnatureofviolence,
amythwhoselessonsarejustasrelevanttodayastheywereinancient
times.ThisledtomydiscoveryofTheTyrfingCycle.ThefilmTYRFINGisa
reireinterpretation ofa Scandinavian myth (a two-fisted Viking tale)
contrastedwiththeself-fulfillingprophecyofviolence.
Ihaveaffinityforfilmviolence,butinthefaceoftrueviolenceintheworld
todayhowingoodconsciencecouldIenjoyfantasyviolence?Whatisthis
duplicitousnaturethatmakesviolencesocompellingandsorevoltingall
atonce?HowcouldItellastorythatisinherentlyviolentandnotcelebrate
thebloodshed? (cont.)

5. director’sstatement
Comingfrom theworldofcommercialtelevisionproduction,Ithriveat
workinginabox.We’reprofessionaltroubleshooters,andIenjoypushing
outandexploringtheboundariesofeveryproject,despitethecreativeor
budgetarylimitations.ThisfilmbecamemypersonalboxandIwelcomed
allthechallengesitwouldbring.
IIwanted tocraftastorythatplayed tomystrengths,despitemy
limitations:“Accentuatethepositives,hidethenegatives.”-PaulHeyman.
NewEnglandgeographyofferedabreathtaking,althoughfrigidlocation,
particularlywhenshootingoceansideintheheartofaFebruarynor’easter.
Ialsohadtheadvantageofawealthoftalentfrom thethrivingtheater
community.
ViolenceViolenceisaninescapablecircle,TYRFING isdoom,TYRFING isruin,
TYRFINGisdeath.Thisfilmexplorestheboundariesofthatabyss.

7. selectedbiographies
STEPHENPOLAKIEWICZ
Director/Writer/Editor/Producer
TTYRFING isStephenPolakiewicz’sdirectorialdebut.GraduatingwithaBA
in Television Production from FloridaStateUniversity and aMSin
TelevisionProductionfromBostonUniversity,henowholdsthepositionof
editoratRedtreeProductions,cu ingbroadcastcommercialsandweb
content.Stephenhasanintrinsicpassionforstorytellingandisdeveloping
hisnextfilm,aneo-noirtitledTRUST.
ERICPROPP
PProductionDesigner/Producer/‘Orvar-Odd’
AfterearninganMFAincostumedesignatBostonUniversity,Erichas
workedwithnumeroustheatrecompanies-includingHuntingtonTheatre
Company,A.R.T.,BlueManGroup,CommonwealthShakespeare,Colorado
ShakespeareFestival,andBostonBallet.Erichasactedinvariousstage
productionsinBostonandatAdamsStateUniversity.

9. credits
CAST
CREW
Hjalmar
Orvar-Odd
Angantyr
KingYngvi
Ingeborg
DiDirector,Writer,Editor,Producer
ProductionDesigner,Producer
DirectorofPhotography
AssistantCamera,StillPhotography
ProductionSoundMixer
SoundEditor,Music
Make-Up,Wardrobe
BBloodMake-Up
ProductionSupport
PosterArtist
AndrewRakich
EricPropp
DaveRich
JeffGill
GenevieveChason
StephenPolakiewicz
EricPEricPropp
RyanBenne
ZhijingYu
QuinnWilson
DavidFernandez
CaitlinMeno i
AmyGibson
MMeaghanReed,SethDumont
MikeLawrence