Vassar College Film Department

From now until February 18, VCA is presenting three documentaries made by Vassar Film Department seniors that deal with campus life during the pandemic. Check them all out on the Vassar Creative Arts page, on our website, or on YouTube.

February 11-13: Yosh (Stella Royo '21) explores music and identity through the work and ambitions of an undergraduate songwriter.

February 13-15: Overwinter (Blair Webber '21) offers glimpses of the Vassar Farm garden and the community that sustains it.

February 16-18: Intrepid (Cat Sillars '21) shows how a campus artistic tradition is modified and endures despite new challenges.

All links - including the Feb. 19th Zoom Q&A @ 7pm - are available here:
https://www.facebook.com/vassarcreativearts

Vassar Creative Arts Vassar Creative Arts is the page for the Creative Arts Across Disciplines initiative at Vas

Join us for Reimagining Black Feminist Past & Futures, a free, public showcase of films made by and about Black women. The audience will be able to enjoy three independent, short films with stories ranging from the labor of caring for aging family to the performance of sacred ritual in Los Angeles to an afrofuturist re-telling of the 1960s Space Race. This event will engage with important, nuanced representations of diverse female experiences that are often lacking on-screen and will explore womanhood as it was in the past, as it is in the present, and as it should be in the future.
https://www.facebook.com/WERISEpoughkeepsie

Auditions for Senior film projects planned for Wednesday, February 26

Email [email protected] if you are interested in attending an audition. Auditions are only open to those who reach out and then receive an invitation.

THE FILMS:

Jo

by Helen Magowan and Mario Gerardi

Jo is a closed-off sixteen year old living in small-town Nebraska accustomed to hiding the pain caused by her abusive father behind a stoic face and self-harming in private. Over the course of two days, this facade begins to break down as tension escalates in her home, in turn also disrupting her ability to focus in school and her relationship with her best friend Kevin. Jo arrives at a decision which she believes will liberate herself and her mother from Ritchie.

JO (15-20) expressionless, stoic, sees little purpose in existing, self-taught bike mechanic, wears muted colors, perpetually angry-sad, overprotective, irreverent, brave

KEVIN (15-20) Jo’s best friend, well-liked boy-next-door, deflects uncomfortable situations with humor, loves Jo because he thinks she has more character and dimension than anyone else at their high school

GIANNA (40s-50s) Jo’s mom, passive with Ritchie but more assertive with Jo, endlessly patient, loves forcefully but to a fault

RITCHIE (40s-50s) Jo’s dad, alcoholic, explosive, a liar, harm he causes is calculated but he doesn’t acknowledge it as harm

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Needles

by Damian Zapien and Miranda Amey

Chayi, a latinx college student in a predominantly white elite college is used to lying to her friends about her low-income background. However, after her mom reveals that her father has lost his job, she is forced to keep the struggle to herself. Unable to concentrate in school, she begins to be in the risk of failing her classes. At the same time, she begins to have itching around her body, along with green discoloration and needles...

CHAYI (20) female, brown - quiet and moody, soft spoken, concealing pain/ embarrassed of where she comes from. Lying comes easy to her. A bomb waiting to explode.

LILLI (20) white, typical art-hoe - wealthy and overly confident would be annoying if she wasn't so endearing - Chayi’s best friend. Unaware of Chayi’s background.

WELLS (40s) white, professor - stern/intimidating but caring. Went through life without much effort, is unable to fully understand Chayi’s struggles.

NORMA (50s) (Voice) latina mom, spanish accent - very caring but judgemental. Ashamed of her failure to provide for Chayi. Sounds depressed, lonely, trapped.

TATTOO SHOP OWNER (43) White alternative man, stoic

EXTRAS white art students (18-22) years, can vary

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Projector

by Julie Sandler and Joe Abriatis

Maggie is a compassionate, loving individual in their mid 20s. As the date of their sister, Lucy’s, wedding slowly approaches, Maggie’s grandmother, Bea, expresses her familial and romantic expectations for Maggie, who is struggling with confusing thoughts regarding their sexuality. They navigate these fears and uncertainties by attending a speed dating event, speaking with Bea and attempting to make sense of the multitude of thoughts and experiences they’ve had. Despite these attempts, Maggie’s uncertainty continues to prevail. During a discussion with Lucy, Maggie has a realization, which ultimately allows them to become more accepting of the uncertainty of the present, as well as the ambiguity of their identity.

MAGGIE: Non-male. 20-30. Empathetic and sensitive. Capable, but dealing with imposter syndrome. Experiencing uncertainty surrounding their sexual and gender identities. Deeply connected to Lucy and Bea, but often compares themselves to their more confident sister and grandmother.

BEA: Woman. 65 and above. Grandmother to Maggie and Lucy. Enduring and quick. Energetic. Holds high expectations for her grandchildren out of a place of love. Does not realize that such expectations may limit her grandchildren in certain ways.

LUCY: Woman. 20-30. Maggie’s older sister by two years. Kind and supportive. Successful in her endeavors, yet humble in perspective. Sure of herself and hyper-aware of the feelings of others.

SPEED DATERS: (8) 20-30. Eager and enthusiastic. Quick to open-up and interested in getting to know new people. Insecure about various aspects of their lives, but quick to conceal such insecurities.

Great write up on Professor of Film Sarah Kozloff's journey!

Professor Sarah Kozloff Embarks on Second Career…as a Fantasy Fiction Writer Sarah Kozloff, Professor of Film on the William R. Kenan, Jr. Chair, spent the first 57 years of her life not considering herself creative and not writing novels. Less than seven years later, she’s written four of them.

Vassar Film is excited to announce the documentary film, Talking to Strangers, by Lucy Rosenthal '19 has been officially selected into the 2nd Annual BAM Film School Shorts Program and 13th Annual National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY 2019) film festivals.

Brooklyn Academy of Music BAM screening date is September 25th at 7pm
https://www.bam.org/film/2019/film-school-shorts

NFFTY screening dates are October 24-27th in Seattle, WA.
https://www.nffty.org/

Congratulations to Vassar Alums Jon Miller '11, Colin Bernatzky '11, & Katie Accardo '11! They've collaborated for the past several years on a feature-length documentary about the New York comedy scene, focusing on three stand-up comedians with very different life stories. After screening at domestic and international film festivals, "Standing Up" is now available on iTunes.

Standing Up "Standing Up" is a feature-length documentary following three radically different, aspiring New York comedians.

Quiet as It's Kept: Passing Subjects, Contested Identities.
Vassar College April 5, 6, 7

"The conference is slated to include presentations about many forms of passing pertaining to race, sexuality, gender, ability, religion, and class."

Co-Sponsored by Vassar Film with
Mia Mask, Professor of Film on the Mary Riepma Ross '32 Chair

Passing, Identity and Race | WNYC | New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News Over 125 years after an African-American woman named Anita Florence Hemmings passed as white at Vassar College, her story has helped inspire a conference on the topic.

Vassar College Narrative Auditions 2019 1. The Vassar College Film Department is holding an open call for their Senior Narrative Films. Seeking actors LOCAL to the Hudson Valley area. There are many films and many roles for ages 18 and up...

The Vassar College Film Department invites applications for a Full-Time Media Coordinator.

Please visit employment.vassar.edu or follow the link below for full details on the position.

Review of applications will begin immediately. Anticipated start date will be in January 2019.

Best wishes,

Vassar Film

https://employment.vassar.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?time=1545236896666