The great actor Matthew Modine has a new vision quest. He and longtime producing partner Adam Rackloff are throwing their hats into the Oscar ring with a short film called “Clay.”
Through their Cinco Dedos Películas banner, Modine — who we all know from great films like “Oppenheimer,” “Birdy,” “Full Metal Jacket” and “Vision Quest,” and of course TV’s “Stranger Things” – and Rackoff — have signed on as executive producers of the new short film which written and directed by Kevin Haefelin and produced by Youmi Haefelin-Roch.
The film is now For Your Consideration for Best Live Action Short Film at the 99th Academy Awards. (Voters can see it on their Academy app.)
“Clay” had its world premiere at the Academy Award®-qualifying Cinequest Film Festival, and continued its festival run at deadCenter Film Festival and internationally, winning Best Short Film at the 10th Riviera International Film Festival in Sestri Levante, Italy. (see the cool poster below)
What’s it about? Emerging from a plaster egg at dawn in Central Park, a baby embarks on a poetic journey through New York City in search of her own form. Told entirely from the child’s perspective and without dialogue, “Clay” explores growth, transformation, and the fleeting space between sensing the world and understanding it.
“Clay is unlike anything I’ve seen,” Matthew tells me. “It’s both delicate and bold — a rare combination in short-form storytelling. Kevin and Youmi are visionary filmmakers, and I’m honored to support their work again.”
The film marks Modine and Rackoff’s second collaboration with the Haefelins, following the Gotham Short Film Showcase-winning “The Fuse,” which qualified for the 96th Academy Awards and was subsequently distributed by Focus Features.
“Clay” grew directly out of Kevin and Youmi’s lives as new parents and artists. Unable to secure childcare for their eight-month-old daughter during development, they began incorporating parenthood itself into the creative process. Youmi, a sculptor, created the film’s practical plaster forms, while their daughter, Leonora Fellini, became the film’s protagonist, allowing the filmmakers to capture her developmental milestones in real time.
“We wanted to capture that fleeting space between sensing and understanding,” said writer-director Kevin Haefelin. “Where everything is still wonder.”
With no spoken dialogue, the film builds its world through image, sound, and music. Its original score was composed by siblings Diego, Nora, and Lionel Baldenweg (In the Land of Saints and Sinners, Home Is the Ocean), while supervising sound editor Loïc Gourbe developed an immersive soundscape reflecting the baby’s shifting perception of the world. The film was mixed in Dolby Atmos.
The project has also been adapted into a fully illustrated children’s picture book, illustrated by Ada and Ekaterina Mitchev, extending the story’s themes of discovery and transformation beyond the screen.
“Clay” is a Kumoshika Productions presentation in association with Cinco Dedos Películas. Written, directed and edited by Kevin Haefelin. Produced by Youmi Haefelin-Roch. Executive produced by Matthew Modine and Adam Rackoff. Story by Youmi Haefelin-Roch and Kevin Haefelin. Music by Diego Baldenweg with Nora Baldenweg and Lionel Baldenweg. Supervising sound editor Loïc Gourbe. Starring Leonora Fellini.
