My films have screened at MoMA Doc Fortnight, Lincoln Center’s Art of The Real, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Visions du Réel and others. I’ve worked as a cinematographer internationally, including the US, Brazil, China, the South Pacific, Europe and Central Africa, and have contributed to Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning documentaries. I work as an editor, graphics artist and sound designer on films and installations.
Saffron Highway
Growing up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I noticed that small grocery stores stocked an abundance of dried saffron for their Amish and Mennonite customers. This is curious because Anabaptists live by a creed of frugality, and imported saffron is one of the most expensive substances by weight on earth. Each flower contains three delicate stigmas, which need to be harvested by hand. I later discovered that these communities have been cultivating saffron in America for centuries, a tradition rooted in their 16th-century homeland of Palatinate, Germany. They may have acquired a taste for the spice from medieval elites or certain religious nunneries, which used saffron in high quantities as a hallucinogenic drug.
A prelude scene weaves this history into the lesser-known practice of Amish witchcraft, known as brauching.
The film could be described as a seductive and mystical supply chain thriller, incorporating elements of social commentary and dark comedy. This is a working draft.
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I’d like to credit Hesam Jafari, Vee Lee, Christopher E. Fiffie and Timmi Meskers for inspiring this writing.
© 2024 Alex Tyson