Draft:He was Once (1989 short film)
| Submission declined on 8 July 2025 by Dan arndt (talk). This submission's references do not show that the subject qualifies for a Wikipedia article—that is, they do not show significant coverage (not just passing mentions) about the subject in published, reliable, secondary sources that are independent of the subject (see the guidelines on the notability of films). Before any resubmission, additional references meeting these criteria should be added (see technical help and learn about mistakes to avoid when addressing this issue). If no additional references exist, the subject is not suitable for Wikipedia.
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Comment: Requires significant coverage (about the film) in multiple independent secondary sources. Dan arndt (talk) 04:26, 8 July 2025 (UTC)
He Was Once is a 1989 American short film written and directed by Mary Hestand.[1][2] It was produced by Apparatus Productions, a nonprofit production company founded in 1987 by Barry Ellsworth, Christine Vachon, and filmmaker Todd Haynes, who also appears in the film in a supporting role.[3]
| He Was Once | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Mary Hestand |
| Written by | Mary Hestand |
| Cinematography | Steve Kazmierski |
| Edited by | Barry Ellsworth |
| Music by | Alan Tubbs |
Running time | 16 minutes |
| Language | English |
The film is a surreal, live-action parody of Christian clay-animated children's television series Davey and Goliath.
Plot
[edit]When Davey (Todd Adams) is spanked by his father (Salvador Barone) who believes him to be lying about seeing a bear roaming the suburbs, he sets out to prove that he was telling the truth.
2016 restoration
[edit]In December 2016, He Was Once was screened alongside several of Apparatus Productions' other short films at the Metrograph cinema in New York, following their recovery and restoration by IndieCollect.[4][5]
- ^ "He Was Once". IndieCollect. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ He Was Once (1989) | MUBI. Retrieved 2025-07-07 – via mubi.com.
- ^ Dallas, Paul (2016-10-20). "Politics of Style: Restoring and Rediscovering Apparatus Films - Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine | Publication with a focus on independent film, offering articles, links, and resources. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ Bernstein, Paula (2016-06-28). "The Campaign to Revive Early Films from Christine Vachon and Todd Haynes - Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine | Publication with a focus on independent film, offering articles, links, and resources. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ Nordine, Michael (2016-12-05). "Apparatus Films at Metrograph: Early Works by Todd Haynes, Christine Vachon and Barry Elsworth". IndieWire. Retrieved 2025-07-07.