Planting Bodies / Elise de Cuba

Elise de Cuba
Miami, Florida, United States
 
Planting Bodies, 2025
Film, 14:24 minutes
 
This documentary film explores a conservation cemetery in Alachua County, Florida, where burial becomes an act of ecological restoration. Through the voices of those who care for and steward the land, the film reflects on the environmental impact of conventional burial practices and introduces alternative approaches rooted in conservation and renewal. Moving between the practical and the philosophical, it invites viewers to reconsider death as a site of connection, where decomposition becomes part of a larger cycle of life. 

Elise de Cuba is a filmmaker, videographer, and environmental storyteller whose work centers on ecology, community, and embodied narratives. Her documentary Planting Bodies was screened at the 2025 Subtropic Film Festival. Her practice spans collaborative and international work, from video production for environmental and educational platforms to projects developed during artist residencies abroad. With a background in Environmental Science and Geographic Information Systems, de Cuba brings a research-informed approach to her storytelling, creating work that connects environmental awareness with lived experience.