I Was a Teenage Filmmaker
Barnard student used own life experiences to help tell another's story
It was an all too common plight—the end of my first year was rapidly approaching, and I still had no idea what I was going to do over the summer. A naive freshman, I believed that if I applied for any internship, I would get it. With this mentality, I applied to a film production company, confidently believing I would land the job. I was narrow-minded enough to know this small firm would be eager to have me work for them. It wasn’t until the interview that I realized it had all been a juvenile fantasy, because I was clearly the wrong candidate—despite my interest in film.
Defeated, I resigned myself to yet another summer of wrangling second graders at the camp where I’d worked for the last two years. While I didn’t hate being a counselor, begging seven-year-old boys to cooperate with me wasn’t exactly my idea of a perfect summer vacation. Nevertheless, I signed the contract and prepared myself for two months of sticky hands, guarded patience, and saccharine smiles.
Not long after I made this decision, I was sitting down for dinner at Hewitt Dining Hall when I restlessly started thinking of other options. Maybe it was something they were cooking, but I suddenly came up with the idea to make a documentary on celiac disease—with which I had been diagnosed just before my freshman year of high school. It made so much sense that I was almost shocked, since the story had been brewing in my head for years. It had arrived just in time to save me from a summer of boredom and frustration.
Celiac disease is caused by an intolerance to gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and malt. When people who have celiac disease eat foods containing gluten, their body attacks the villi in their small intestine, which are responsible for the absorption of nutrients. The damage to their villi can lead to malabsorption of nutrients, eventually leading to malnutrition. People who have celiac disease may show no symptoms. They can also have symptoms like diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, stress fractures, osteoporosis, migraines, short stature, and infertility. The only cure for celiac disease is a strict gluten-free diet, in which all foods containing gluten are removed. An estimated one in 133 people in this country have celiac disease, but of these people, nearly all are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.
Soon after finding out I had this disease, I went with my mom to buy gluten-free bread and baked goods from a specialty store called Foods by George, which is run by George Chookasian and his wife Ceil. I read their story while on the drive to New Jersey, so I knew they were special before I arrived. George left the finance industry to found Foods by George shortly after Ceil was diagnosed with celiac disease, combining both his passion for food and his love for Ceil. After meeting them—and falling in love with their food—I realized the personal sacrifices George and Ceil had made for the benefit of the larger celiac community.
I began to think that someone should capture the story of their journey. My primary inspiration was the many people who have celiac disease, and those who have heard of it, that stigmatize it because of the strict dietary rules. But I had always considered celiac disease a positive part of my life—I had met so many interesting, wonderful people. And though I did have to give up some of the ease of eating at a “regular” pizzeria, my health is much more important than a slice of Koronet’s. To me, George and Ceil embody the beauty and positive outlook of celiac disease, and I wanted to show the world their spirit. However, I was 14 or 15 at the time, and I didn’t think there was anything I could do about it. But at 18, sitting in Hewitt, I felt much wiser. I was well aware that I needed to be the one to tell their story, since they had helped take care of me. My documentary was born on that night.
But it wouldn’t remain as simple as telling a single story. Over the next few months, it would evolve and grow into something much bigger than I ever could have imagined: my documentary, Generation Gluten-Free.
Look for the continuation of this series in the February 15 issue of The Eye, in which Cohen recounts the pre-production phase of her documentary.