Across walls, fences, and alleys, rats not only expose our boundaries of separation but make homes in them. "Rat Film" is a feature-length documentary that uses the rat—as well as the humans that love them, live with them, and kill them--to explore the history of Baltimore. "There's never been a rat problem in Baltimore, it's always been a people problem". 

RAT FILM premiered at the 2016 Locarno International Film Festival and will be distributed by Cinema Guild. The film features an original score composed by Baltimore-based musician Dan Deacon.

Press:
Chris Marker Meets Werner Herzog in Brilliant, Quirky Rodent Documentary 'Rat Film' -- IndieWire
Racism in Baltimore via Pest Control -- Filmmaker Magazine
Fall Festival Highlights: Rat Film -- Cinema Scope Magazine
'Rat Film': Locarno Review -- The Hollywood Reporter

Body Builder is an in-progress feature documentary about Jake Schellenschlaeger, the strongest 14 year old in the world. It is the classic coming-of-age tale told through the hyper-real world of bodybuilding. As Jake’s muscles and internet presence grow, we observe a boy in transition, trying on all the parts of the idealized man he hopes to become. 

Bodybuilding is a metaphor of the flesh. It is self-image sculpted for sport. The muscular weight of accomplishment and growth is carried through the everyday. Through Jake’s bodybuilding career, the construction of the male identity is investigated, challenged, and ultimately disassembled. In the first half of the film, there are no interviews or talking heads. The story is told through a series of long, observational takes that mimic the rituals of the gym. Through these repetitions, we begin to see patterns of Jake’s behavior that give us insight into key tensions and relationships that surround him. Jake’s affected YouTube presence provide commentary for these scenes, contrasting Jake’s hyper-masculine image put forth for the world with the quiet, awkward boy navigating the plainness of the everyday. As the film moves into the second half, Jake becomes more and more aware of the filmmaking process and intent. How that awareness shifts the perceived reality of the frame is explored in conversations and visual collaborations with Jake, the filmmaker, and other predatory forces that surround him looking to capitalize on his youth and fame. Though these conversations, the film questions and investigates image, identity, and the exploitative nature of documentary itself.

A film by Theo Anthony
A MEMORY Production

PEACE IN THE ABSENCE OF WAR: Baltimore 4/27/15 - 5/2/15
On April 12th, 2015, Freddie Gray, a 25 year-old unarmed black man, was taken into custody by Baltimore City Police. Thirty minutes later he was found unresponsive in the back of a police van. After a week in a coma, Freddie Gray died from his injuries.

In the coming weeks Baltimore would become the epicenter of a growing national movement to end police brutality. Military and police swarmed the city to impose order, while flocks of media arrived to cover the increasingly violent confrontations with demonstrators. On April 27th, after an intense night of protests and rioting throughout the city, a state of emergency was declared. A 9 PM curfew was established for all civilians, enforced by a military guard armed with automatic weapons.

On April 28th, 2015, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra held a “Concert for Peace” in downtown Baltimore, approximately a mile away from the site of Gray’s arrest. The performance was free to attend. Footage is culled from that concert, along with various demonstrations on that same day. All nights shots were taken after curfew while following the route of Freddie Gray’s arrest.

Official Selection, 2016 International Film Festival Rotterdam

Director/Editor/Camera -- Theo Anthony
Field Sound -- Marc Gallant
Post Sound Mastering -- Schwarz & Jack Goodman

Portraits of cops, taken on the night of 4/27/15.

Filmed on location throughout the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, “Chop My Money” is the story of three kids living on the streets of Goma. Combining music video, documentary, and narrative styles, the story was written in conjunction with the actors of the film, giving an outlet to stories rarely seen, through voices that are heard even less.

Directed/Shot/Edited by Theo Anthony
Produced by Allen Amani

Featuring
Manu Bahiti "Patient" Jean Christophe
Guillain Paluku
David Muhindo

Featuring original music by Alex Zhang Hungtai of Dirty Beaches
Sound Design by Jack Goodman

Official Selection, 2014 Toronto International Film Festival
Official Selection, 2015 Atlanta Film Festival
Official Selection, 2015 Maryland Film Festival
Official Selection, Camden International Film Festival
Honorable Mention for Best International Film / Aust-Agder Youth Jury Prize, 2015 Norwegian Short Film Festival
Official Selection, 2015 Chicago Critics Film Festival
Official Selection, 2015 Annapolis Film Festival
Best Short Fiction Film, 2015 CIMMFest
Best Short Film, 2015 AfryKamera Festival
Official Selection, 2015 InTe Cinema Festival
Official Selection, Milano Film Festival

Filmed throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final days of a devastating three-year war, 'Coffin Maker' weaves together three separate journeys: a coffin maker in Goma, front line footage of a rebel army in retreat, and a mass funeral for military officers killed in the conflict. It is a study of death in theory, practice and consequence, and ultimately, how a culture interprets loss as justification for its future.

Directed/Shot/Edited by Theo Anthony
Produced by Simone Bazos
Original Score by David Bird

Photos taken while on assignment in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, 2013.

A music video for Dope Body's "Repo Man", off their 2014 Album "Lifer".

Directed/Shot/Edited by Theo Anthony
Written by Andrew Laumann & Theo Anthony