Preview - 'The Garden' (A New Look At Mankind's Creation Stories, Set In 12,000 BC)

Some 3 years in the making, The Garden is writer/director Michael Montgomery's USC graduate thesis film; one that he began working on in 2009, was able to fund by maxing out his student loans (the old fashioned way), and that he intends to premiere at next year's Sundance Film Festival, after which he plans to expand it, and turn the film into a feature.

Calling it a passion project, Montgomery's production team includes Anthony Hanna - producer; Nick Andrus - producer; and Bryan McClure - producer.

Here's how they describe the film:

The Garden is inspired by creation stories, such as Adam and Eve, as well as science and history. It strives to paint an accurate portrait of life at the dawn of modern civilization, a time when mankind no longer simply lived off nature as it provided, but instead took efforts to alter nature for their own survival (such as irrigation and agriculture). It's the time when that very first spark of imagination tempted our ancestors to be more than what they had been, tempted them to see the world differently, and gave a few of them the courage to stand up for a brave new future. But at what cost?

After successfully raising $20,000 last summer, the filmmakers were able to finally begin completion of the film, which they hope will highlight what our ancestors developed thousands of years ago that are crucial to modern civilization, and what we could learn by understanding their struggles.

"It's time for something new and interesting in Hollywood, not something that you see every day," they added.

A trailer for the film follows below; by December, we'll know whether it'll premiere at Sundance 2013.

Watch:

The Garden - Trailer from Michael Montgomery on Vimeo.