A Place in the Sundance
With 15 films screening at the prestigious festival, film at Columbia has never looked better
Venice may hold the world’s oldest film festival, and Cannes’ may be the most fashionable, but it is Park City, Utah, that hosts the largest independent film festival in the United States. And this year, a sizable Columbia contingent is making the trip. The Sundance Film Festival will screen an unprecedented 15 films made by University students and alumni, including five dramatic features, one documentary, and nine shorts.
The filmmakers faced tough competition just to have their films screened. This year, only 122 feature films were selected from more than 3,000 submissions. Newcomers abound, due in part to the festival’s reputation for launching new talent. Filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, and Kevin Smith all got their starts at Sundance.
Having a feature screened alongside the U.S. premiere of French director Luc Besson’s newest work, Angel-A, would be an honor for any filmmaker, but it’s especially humbling for James C. Strouse, a current MFA candidate at the School of the Arts.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said, “because Sundance is not only a first-rate festival, but it’s also an amazing organization, responsible for helping so many talented writers and artists get their stories told.” His feature, Grace is Gone, is one of three University-related films showing in the Independent Cinema Dramatic Competition. Alfredo de Villa’s, SoA ‘98, Adrift in Manhattan and Christopher Zalla’s, SoA ‘04, Padre Nuestro will also compete. Only 16 films out of nearly 1,000 entries will screen as part of the category.
The other two dramatic features will be seen as part of the Spectrum program, which, though not part of the competition, is still an incredible opportunity. Patricia Riggen, SoA ‘03, will show La Misma Luna, and Jessica Levin, SoA ‘02, will show Dedication, two of only 24 films in the program. The Spectrum program is designed to showcase the talent and creativity of promising independent filmmakers.
Sundance’s contestants are attention-grabbing for their harrowing backstories. Unlike most of her counterparts, Irene Taylor Brodsky did not attend Columbia’s film school—she is actually an alumna of the School of Journalism, ‘97. But this didn’t stop her from telling the story of her deaf parents, who underwent cochlear implant surgery in order to gain the sense of hearing. Brodsky’s film, Hear and Now, is one of 16 documentaries, chosen from 856 submissions, competing for the award in the Independent Film: Documentary category.
Columbia filmmakers also have a strong showing in the short films category, claiming nine of 71 total shorts, which were chosen from 4,445 submissions. Although the category hardly makes headlines, Tze Chun, CC ‘02, a film studies major while at Columbia was accordingly touched by the acknowledgement. “Getting into the festival felt like a real affirmation that I could do this on my own,” he said.
Chun’s “Windowbreaker” will compete in the American Dramatic Short competition, alongside Lilah Vandenburgh, SoA ‘06, with “Bitch,” Ian Olds, SoA ‘06, with “Bomb,” Nanobah Becker, SoA ‘06, with “Conversion,” Hope Dickson Leach, SoA ‘05, with “The Dawn Chorus,” and Moon Molson (current MFA candidate) with “Pop Foul.”
In the International Dramatic Short category, the University is represented by Anocha Suwichakornpong, SoA ‘06, with “Graceland,” Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa, SoA ‘06, with “Salt Kiss,” and Cherien Dabis, SoA ‘04, with “Make a Wish.” Dabis recognized the opportunity for exposure that the honor brings and has noted increased enthusiasm for her feature screenplay, Amreeka, which is currently in the financing stage.
The Sundance success of current students bodes well for Columbia’s film program. Annette Insdorf, professor at the School of Arts film division and director of the Undergraduate film studies department, attributes much of the school’s success to the emphasis on education. “It is grounded in the solidity of the screenplay,” she said, adding that it “unifies the study of film history with the creation of original work.”
Other professors at the School of Arts, such as Richard Brick and James A. Schamus, emphasized the school’s cooperative atmosphere as the distinguishing factor. “When individual students go on to achieve at the highest levels, as they are doing in great numbers this year at Sundance, it’s also a testament to their peers and colleagues who have worked so hard with them through every stage of their work,” Schamus said.