80 YEARS IN THE MAKING!  

AS THE EARTH TURNS  

1938 Unreleased Silent Film by Richard H. Lyford

FIND it on Turner Classic Movies (originally Broadcast Halloween 2021!)

 

“Not only is it a fascinating film with a wonderful score by Ed Hartman, but the director, Richard Lyford, went on to work on special effects at Disney. Ultimately it’s a small piece of film history that I think TCM viewers will appreciate.”

Charles Tabesh, Turner Classic Movies

"One of the most exciting discoveries in the archival offerings of Seattle International Film Festival...This is a festival must-see for fans of classic film. It’s a marvelous discovery."  

Seattle International Film Festival 

"Had Steven Spielberg been a 16-millimeter camera-toting teen in the 1930s, his home movies might have looked like “As the Earth Turns.”  

Michael Rechtshaffen, LA Times 

"As The Earth Turns is a standout piece of science fiction from the Silent Age. For those with an interest in the history of special effects, it's compelling viewing...it is brilliant in what it manages to achieve with the simple tools of the time...Berger's performance, however, is by far the most impressive in the film and very different in style from what one sees in older silent moves. It's a transitional turn, big enough to work without audible words but nuanced enough that one can imagine it working with them."

Jennie Kermode, eyeforfilm.co.uk 

"For film fans, this [As the Earth Turns] is like finding a lost Egyptian pyramid, after years of obscurity.  It's another piece of the puzzle that will remain in motion picture history forever!"  

Dana D Winseman, Beach Cities Inspirational Film Festival (Outstanding Recognition Award)  

"As the Earth Turns is essential viewing."  

Stefan Milne, Seattle Met 

"The coolest sci-fi thriller screening at SIFF" (Seattle International Film Festival) 

Crosscut.com  

“The musical score...beautifully complements the film and simultaneously sounds modern and retro.”  

Oddurbt.com  

"As the Earth Turns is rather beautifully filmed, with the director showing a genuine eye for framing and decent camerawork, while no corners seem to be cut to bring the story to life on a budget. And couple all of that with the film's very mature pacifist message while the world was actually on the brink of war, and you got yourself a pretty remarkable movie ..."  

Mike Haberfelner, searchmytrash.com  

"I just watched a movie that was 80 years in the making. “As the Earth Turns” was thoroughly enjoyable and I highly recommend this film. I especially recommend it for devotees of silent movies, sci-fi fans, movie historians, and those who loved Mel Brooks’ “Silent Movie” in 1976 and “The Artist” that won five Oscars in 2012 including best picture."  

Rene A. Henry, Caribbean News Global 

"I have seen many films made in the 1930s and I feel that “As the Earth Turns” is the best of the lot." 

Dr. Israel Drazin

"As the Earth Turns: Festivals: (2018-2020)

123 Festivals, 136 Awards/Nominations

Including 34 for best score by Composer Ed Hartman

52 Weeks Film Festival

WINNER - BEST MUSICAL SCORE       

WINNER              

BEST FEATURE FILM

6 on Nebraska  
Action on Film Megafest

BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM (NOMINATION)

BEST PERIOD PIECE (NOMINATION)

American Asian Latino Film Festival NYC  
Amsterdam Lift-Off Film Festival Online  
Aphrodite Film Awards FINALIST
ARFF Barcelona // International Awards WINNER - BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM
Austin Indie Fest WINNER-BEST SCI-FI
Beach Cities Inspirational Film Festival WINNER-OUTSTANDING RECOGNITION
Bedford Falls Film Festival BEST DIRECTOR (NOMINATION) GEORGE BAILEY AWARD (NOMINATION)
Blastoff

BEST FEATURE FILM (NOMINATION)

BEST SCORE (NOMINATION)

BEST VISUAL FX/MAKEUP (NOMINATION)

Bloodstained Indie Film Festival: Sci-Fi Horror Action  
Blow-Up International Arthouse Film Festival SEMI-FINALIST
Calcutta International Cult Film Festival WINNER - BEST SILENT FILM
Canada Shorts - Canadian & International Short Film Fest. WINNER - AWARD OF DISTINCTION
Caorle Film Festival  
Carmarthen Bay Film Festival  
Central States IndieFanFilmFest

WINNER - BEST SILENT FILM

BEST SOUNDTRACK (NOMINATION)

Chambal International Film Festival - Season 3  
CKF International Film Festival  
Clifton Film Celebration  
Colortape International Film Festival QUARTER-FINALIST
Columbus International Film Festival SEMI-FINALIST
CrashLanded WINNER - BEST SCI-FI
Creation International Film Festival  
Cult Critic Movie Awards

WINNER - BEST CULT FILM

WINNER - BEST FILMSCORE/SOUNDTRACK

JEAN LUC GODARD AWARD WINNER 2019

(TCCC: CULT FILM / UNDERGROUND FILM / EXPLOITATION MOVIE / MIDNIGHT FILM / PARA CINEMA)

Depth of Field International Film Festival

WINNER - EXCELLENCE BOTH CATEGORIES

WINNER - AWARD OF OUTSTANDING EXCELLENCE: DIRECTION, RICHARD LYFORD

WINNER - AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: ORIGINAL SCORE, ED HARTMAN

WINNER - AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: SFX VISUAL,  RICHARD LYFORD

WINNER - AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: ORIGINAL CONCEPT

WINNER - AWARD OF OUTSTANDING EXCELLENCE: VIEWER IMPACT: ENTERTAINMENT VALUE

Desert Edge Global Film Festival  
Diamond Film Awards  
Dumbo Film Festival  
East Europe International Film Festival - Warsaw Edition  
Eurasia International Monthly Film Festival FINALIST
Euro fest European International Film Festival

WINNER - BEST FEATURE

WINNER - BEST SCORE

Film Festival @ Browns Point WINNER - PUT EYES ON WHAT’S WORKING AWARD
FINDECOIN – Independent International Short Film Festival  
Gen Con Film Festival  
Global Film Festival Awards

WINNER - BEST SCI-FI SHORT

WINNER - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Global Independent Film Awards WINNER - GOLD AWARD - BEST SCORE
Global Indian Film Festival WINNER - BEST FEATURE FILM
Global Nonviolent Film Festival WINNER - BEST ORIGINAL PRODUCTION DESIGN
Hollywood Dreams International Film Festival Competition

WINNER - BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS- FEATURE

BEST SCIENCE FICTION- FEATURE (NOMINATION)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION - SHORT  (NOMINATION)

BEST PERIOD PIECE  (NOMINATION)

Hollywood Hills Film Awards

WINNER - BEST FEATURE FILM

WINNER - BEST SCORE

Hollywood Horrorfest SEMI-FINALIST
Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival SEMI-FINALIST
Hollywood Sun Awards

WINNER - BEST SCORE

WINNER - BEST EDITING

WINNER - BEST DIRECTOR

WINNER - BEST VISUAL FX

WINNER - BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE

Hollywood West Wing Film Competition

WINNER - BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

WINNER - BEST DIRECTOR

WINNER - BEST SCORE

WINNER - BEST SHORT FILM (3rd PLACE WINNER)

Hyperwave Film Awards SEMI-FINALIST
Independent Music Awards NOMINATION: FILM/TV/GAME SCORE
Independent Shorts Awards WINNER - OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Independent Talents International Film Festival WINNER - MID LENGTH - FICTION - NOMINEE
Indie Short Fest WINNER - OUTSTANDING ACHEIVEMENT SPECIAL JURY NOMINATION
IndieX Film Fest

WINNER- BEST SET DESIGN

BEST VISUAL FX (NOMINATION)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (NOMINATION)

Kapow Intergalactic Film Festival

WINNER BEST SCORE/SOUNDTRACK BEST ENSEMBLE - COMEDY/MUSICAL (NOMINATION)


 

 

Kathmandu World Film Festival (KWFF) SEMI-FINALIST
LA Cinefest SEMI-FINALIST
LA Edge Film Awards

WINNER - BEST EDITING

WINNER - BEST SCORE

2ND RUNNER UP - BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE

LA Shorts Awards

WINNER - BEST SCORE

WINNER - BEST SHORT FILM (PLATINUM)

Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Competition

WINNER - BEST FILM SCORE

WINNER - BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM

Life After Life Film Festival HONORABLE MENTION
Liift India Filmotsav - World Cine Fest FINALIST
Local Sightings Film Festival  
London International Filmmaker Festival Of World Cinema

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (NOMINATION)

BEST SOUND DESIGN (NOMINATION)

London International Motion Pictures Awards - LIMPA  
London Lift-Off Film Festival Online 2019  
Los Angeles Global Lift-Off Online Festival FINALIST
Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards WINNER - BEST SCORE
Lucky Strike Film Festival BEST SHORT (NOMINATION)
Mediterranean Film Festival  
Melbourne Global Lift-Off Online Film Festival  
Mindfield Film Festival - Albuquerque

WINNER - BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (DIAMOND)

WINNER - BEST DIRECTOR (PLATINUM)

WINNER - BEST SHORT FILM (SILVER)

WINNER - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (SILVER)

WINNER - BEST VISUAL FX (SILVER)

Mindfield Film Festival - Los Angeles  
Munich Film Awards WINNER - BEST FEATURE FILM
Musicanzone Film Festival WINNER - BEST FEATURE FILM
Myrtle Beach International Film Festival WINNER - BEST FILM PRESERVATION RUNNER UP - BEST FEATURE
New Era Film Festival FINALIST
New Vision International Film Festival  
New York Global Lift-Off Online Festival  
Nickel Independent Film Festival  
Noida International Film Festival  
Northeast Mountain Film Festival  
NYC Indie Film Awards

WINNER - BEST SHORT FILM (PLATINUM AWARD)

WINNER - BEST SCORE (DIAMOND AWARD)

Olympus Film Festival WINNER - BEST SCI-FI (ZEUS AWARD)
Oniros Film Awards

FINALIST - BEST SOUNDTRACK

WINNER - BEST SILENT FILM

Out of the Can Film Festival BEST SOUNDTRACK (FINALIST)
Phenomenal Film Festival  
Pinnacle Film Awards

WINNER - GOLD AWARD

WINNER - BEST SCORE GOLD AWARD

Polish International Film Festival  
Political Edge Film Festival  
Rajasthan International Film Festival  
Realtime Internationall Film Festival SEMI-FINALIST
Reel East Texas Film Festival  
Rocky Mountain International Film Festival FINALIST
Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards HONORABLE MENTION: SHORT FILM
Rosarito Film Festival WINNER - BEST SHORT
Royal Wolf Film Awards

WINNER - BEST SCI-FI SHORT

WINNER PLATINUM - BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC

Sci-Fi Genre Lab Lift-Off Film Festival  
Seattle International Film Festival  
Shepperton Screenwriting Festival  
Show Low Film Festival FINALIST
SIFF - Switzerland International Film Festival  
South Europe International Film Festival BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM (NOMINATION) BEST SHORT FILM (NOMINATION)
Southern Cone International Film Festival WINNER - BEST FICTION FEATURE FILM
Southern States IndieFanFilmFest

FEATURE OR FEATURETTE SOUNDTRACK (NOMINATION)

EXPERIMENTAL/ART HOUSE/FILM NOIR/SILENT FILM (NOMINATION)

 

Speculative Film Fest  
Sydney Global Lift-Off Online Film Festival  
The European Independent Film Award WINNER - BEST SCORE PLATINUM AWARD
The Norwegian International Seagull Shortfilm Festival  
The World Independent Cinema Awards  
Toronto Global Lift-Off Online Festival  
Tulalip Hibulb Film Festival

WINNER - BEST FEATURE

WINNER - BEST ACTING (MALE)

3RD PLACE - BEST DIRECTOR

RUNNER-UP - BEST MUSICAL COMPOSITION

UNDO Divergent Film Awards BEST SCI-FI-FANTASY FEATURE (NOMINATION)
United States Film Festival WINNER - BEST U.S. FEATURE FILM
Utah Film Festival and Awards SEMI-FINALIST
Virgin Spring Cinefest

WINNER - BEST MUSICAL SCORE

WINNER - NARRATIVE FEATURE

GOLDEN GALAXY AWARD BEST MUSICAL SCORE (NOMINATION)

GOLDEN GALAXY AWARD NARRATIVE FEATURE (NOMINATION)

Votkinsk International Film Festival  
West Coast Film Festival

WINNER - CHAPLIN GOLD BEST SCIENCE FICTION AWARD

WINNER - CHAPLIN GOLD BEST SCORE AWARD

WINNER - GOLD HG WELLS AWARD

West Europe International Film Festival BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM (NOMINATION) BEST SHORT FILM (NOMINATION)
White Rocks Film Festival WINNER - BEST SCORE
White Unicorn International Film Festival

WINNER - BEST FILM SCORE

WINNER - BEST SILENT FILM

WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival WINNER - REMI AWARD SCIENCE FICTION
WRPN.TV Short, Tight and Loose Global Film Festival Competition

WINNER - LOOSE SHORTS - AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

WINNER - LOOSE SHORTS - AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: BEST SCORE

Zed Fest Film Festival SEMI-FINALIST - Zed Fest Film Festival  Screenplay Competition

BONUS FEATURES:

"Ritual of the Dead" ("Mummy" style fragment by Richard Lyford)

"The Scalpel" ("Jekyll-Hyde" style fragment by Richard Lyford)*

*In 2024 more footage was found for “The Scalpel." (https://edhartmanmusic.com/the-scalpel-1936-silent-film) The complete film is now in festivals.  Future distribution is TBA.

"It Gets in Your Blood" - Documentary about Richard Lyford by Ed Hartman.

Missing Footage, Lyford Home Movie, and more...

"I cannot recommend the Blu-ray for AS THE EARTH TURNS highly enough. Not only do you get Lyford’s science fiction feature, but you also get some terrific bonuses like the remaining extant footage (at that time) of THE SCALPEL and RITUAL OF EVIL—which were newly scanned.  And the film scores for all three, composed and arranged by Ed Hartman, are terrific.

And there’s more. Also on the disc is the documentary about Richard Lyford, IT GETS IN YOUR BLOOD and a fun, comedic Richard Lyford short filmed around Christmas 1944 that also features his wife Betty. Finally, there is a brief intermission for a home video titled LET’S ALL GO TO THE KITCHEN. The music is also composed by Ed and if you didn’t know it you’d swear it was vintage music from the 1960s. The arrangement and choice of instrumentation is perfectly evocative of that period."

Gary Prange, Film Producer, Horror Film Expert

DVD AVAILABLE: AmazonWalmart Barnes and Noble

Soundtrack Release

Press

Press Kit

Trailer

Short Intro Video (1min)

Watch the film NOW:

AMAZON PRIME   GOOGLE PLAY   YOUTUBE   TUBI TV

VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON GROUP SCREENINGS

IMDB

Backstory

Digital Distribution: Indie Rights

(Inquiries: Private and theatrical screenings, etc.)

Trailer:  "It Gets In Your Blood" - documentary about Richard Lyford.

8th Sense Productions is currently working on a biopic, “The Filmmaker.”

Poster Art for Sale (T-shirts, mugs, etc.)

Home of Richard H. Lyford Productions Film Archives

Contact: Ed Hartman, Composer/Producer

Other Richard Lyford Historical Films:

To see  some of Richard Lyford's later work (Educational, Military, Commercial, etc.), Periscope Films (Film Archive and Stock Footage) has been adding to this page: https://www.youtube.com/@PeriscopeFilm/search?query=lyford

“The Titan: Story of Michelangelo” - Produced by Robert Snyder.  Lyford directed and edited this Award-Winning documentary:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.88a9f776-d696-accc-6db7-fe94ce5a9927?autoplay=0&ref_=atv_cf_strg_wb