"The Day the Quaker Cows Came Home" Makes Sundance Debut
Reported by Katelyn Lam
Photographed by Luci Lettau
In an unexpected turn of cinematic events, George Fox University (GFU) film student Lucas George has skyrocketed to fame with his debut film, “The Day the Quaker Cows Came Home.”
This surrealist sci-fi western has been described as "utterly bonkers yet oddly profound" by baffled audiences, professors, and the film world. Not only that, Lucas’s quirky masterpiece has been accepted into the Sundance Film Festival, a feat almost unheard of for student filmmakers.
The film follows an alternate-reality Newberg where dairy cows, guided by a mysterious Quaker prophet, lead the local community in self-discovery while fighting off invading robot alpacas. If that sounds completely ridiculous, well, it is. And that is precisely why it is making waves.
"When the idea came to me, I knew it was something special," Lucas said. "People don’t realize the emotional depth of cows, especially Quaker ones. They're gentle and contemplative, and, frankly, they deserve better representation in media. Sundance recognizes that... I mean, it’s just surreal."
Shot entirely on a budget of $73 and with donations of leftover hay bales from a local farm, the project has impressed many with its resourcefulness.
"Lucas somehow convinced half the dorms to dress up as robot alpacas," said Axel Choo, director of the School of Cinema, Art & Design and assistant professor of Cinematic Arts. "I’ve never seen such community buy-in for a project this… unconventional."
The Sundance announcement has thrown the campus into a frenzy of excitement.
"This is beyond anything we imagined," said Fawn Dewy, professor of Cinematic Arts. "I mean, Lucas’s work is, let’s be honest, a little bizarre. But it’s also deeply original. Sundance saw that. And when I watched the scene with the cow staring at the robot alpaca, I knew we were witnessing something iconic."
The 22-minute masterpiece features groundbreaking effects, such as “dramatic mooing” recorded live on the quad and shots of Newberg landmarks transformed into futuristic dystopias via crude Photoshop. Yet, beneath the absurdity, some argue there is genuine artistry to Lucas’s work.
Netflix is rumored to be interested in acquiring “The Day the Quaker Cows Came Home,” but for now, all eyes are on Sundance, where the film will premiere in the “New Voices” category. GFU is planning a watch party on campus for the big night, with students already designing T-shirts that read “Moo Are Not Alone,” a direct quote from the film’s climactic scene.
"Going to Sundance is the wildest thing I could’ve imagined," Lucas said. "I just wanted to make people laugh. Now I’m thinking about my next project—maybe something with existential chickens?"
Whether Lucas George is the next big name in cinema remains to be seen. But one thing is sure: Newberg will never look at cows or robot alpacas the same way again.