SHORT OF THE WEEK
“Toiler’s Dirge” by C. A. Huff & F. C. Zuke

Runtime: 5 minutes 10 seconds
Category: Experimental Short
Country of Origin: United States

Unseen Labor, Forgotten Places: A Visceral Ode to the Invisible

In Toiler’s Dirge, directors C. A. Huff and F. C. Zuke deliver a haunting experimental short that examines invisible labor and disintegrating human connection through macro lenses and abandoned architecture. Shot in ultra-high resolution using a probe lens, this piece captures the quiet, intricate bodies of insects—tiny workers often overlooked, yet deeply embedded in the natural world’s rhythm.

These extreme close-ups contrast with abandoned footage from a former Intensive Care Unit, blending themes of emergency care, loss, and the lingering presence of effort. The film invites the viewer to examine what it means to give care, to labor unseen, and to exist in the in-between of survival and memory.

The result is a rich visual and thematic meditation on the transience of connection, the echo of work, and the ways in which bodies—human and otherwise—carry silent histories.

Director Biographies

C. A. Huff is a documentary and experimental filmmaker and faculty member in Film Production at the University of Mississippi. Their work spans drag, gender identity, and Southern LGBTQ+ histories, often realized through experimental visuals, archival work, and collaborative genre storytelling. Their work has screened at Indie Memphis, LA Punk Film Festival, Out on Film, Oxford Film Festival, and others.

F. C. Zuke creates audiovisual and interactive works that investigate systems of belief and power—from American talk radio to canine-human relationships. Their work spans installation, performance, creative coding, and digital media education. Zuke’s art has been presented worldwide, from Italy to India, exploring narrative systems that reveal the frameworks that guide behavior and memory.

Credits & Specifications

• Directed by: C. A. Huff & F. C. Zuke
• Runtime: 5:10
• Category: Experimental Short
• Completion Date: July 2025
• Visual Approach: Probe lens macro cinematography, abandoned hospital footage
• Themes: Invisible labor, death of connection, care, decay, forgotten systems
• Country of Origin: United States