A Life's Work is a feature-length documentary in post-production about five people undertaking projects they may not complete in their lifetimes. The subjects address what inspired them to begin, what obstacles they face, what drives and sustains them, how they measure success, how they feel knowing they will not see their projects completed--while the visuals explore their work, lives, and environment. The film is not a series of biographies but an examination of the nature of service to a cause greater than oneself: a meditation on passion, dedication, continuity, mortality and legacy. The subjects are Paolo Soleri, the 90-year-old architect of Arcosanti, a complex based on his theories of urban planning that has been under construction since 1970; The Milarchs, father and son tree farmers who clone old-growth trees for long-term reforestation projects; Jill Tarter, astronomer and Director of the SETI Institute, who has been involved in the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence since the 1970s; and gospel music archivist Robert Darden, founder of the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project, an organization that is trying to identify, preserve, digitize and catalogue all of the most at-risk recordings from the black gospel music tradition. In a world dominated by instant gratification, sound bites and quick fixes, this film focuses on their opposites, examining the importance, value, rewards and travails of taking the long view, and the mindset of those who do. With the proper funding and support, post-production could be finished by spring 2012.

Visit the A Life's Work blog for updates on the film's progress and ruminations on art and life.