Uprooted

Best Student Director

Robin is a recluse who prefers nature and solitude to the comforts and companionship of civilization. Her lifestyle reflects her resourcefulness: stolen food, a shelter crafted from salvaged materials, decorated with found treasures. One winter day, a logging operation launches nearby, and the forest that was her salvation is threatened by the encroachment of civilization. To avoid discovery, Robin must flee home with only the bare essentials, trading her painstakingly earned contentment for the uncertainty of displacement. Uprooted centers on one individual who has chosen to opt out of society. Through focus upon the small details of her life, we find a character whose challenges reflect larger societal issues. Robin’s journey speaks to the near impossibility of escaping societal expectation, and the unseen casualties of careless modern civilization.