QU Film Students Experience Sundance

On Monday, January 23, in the wee hours following the playoff victories of the Patriots and the Giants, an ensemble of 18 Quinnipiac University senior film, video and interactive media majors and three communications professors flew out to the mountainous resort town of Park City, Utah for the acclaimed Sundance film festival.
The experience was a component of a senior seminar class taught by Professor Raymond Foery for film, video, and interactive media majors. Professors Rebecca Abbott and Marty Lang also came along for the trip. Abbott is a professor of communications, while Lang is a visiting assistant professor of communications. Both have attended past Sundance film festivals.
 In a picturesque southwestern setting, the group enjoyed an exciting week packed with film screenings, networking with professional filmmakers, and even celebrity sightings.
Students typically spent their entire day attending films.
“Usually I would not get back [from screenings] until two or three in the morning,” said senior Adam Russo.
“It was such an inspiring experience,” said senior Brian Byrne, who was attending the festival for the first time. “I saw seven films, five of which were absolutely fantastic.” For Byrne, a standout was “Celeste and Jessie Forever,” which he said had great writing.
Senior Tom Galo, a third-year Sundance veteran, was inspired by the film “Excision”.
“It’s a thriller that I believe is the greatest I have [ever] seen at Sundance…The director did not have the biggest budget, but still managed to make the heck of a film,” said Galo.
Adam Russo concurred with Galo’s top film pick.
 “‘Excision’ was my [most] favorite of all and blew me away.”
Students also had the opportunity to network with various film professionals, thanks to the connections Lang obtained through his work on the productions of “Goats,”  “Black Rock” and “For a Good Time, Call,” all of which were screened at the festival. He arranged for students to meet with several of the directors and producers of these films, including Brent Morris, line producer of “Goats” and co-producer of the Oscar-winning feature “Monster,” and Lauren Miller, the writer, producer and star of “For a Good Time, Call”.
Lang was “an outstanding resource,” according to senior Margaret Schimpf.
“[His] colleagues and filmmakers he’s worked with…gave amazing advice to aspiring filmmakers.”
Some students also managed to forge connections independently, like Russo.
“I made new friends and… contacts while at Sundance just by waiting in line and getting to know people,” said Russo.
Adds Schimpf; “I met filmmakers just by walking down Main Street!”
The students also spotted several prominent actors at the festival, including “Inception”’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt and actress Parker Posey.
“It was surreal seeing so many big-time celebrities off the screen,” said Byrne.
After spending a week at Sundance, the students were left with an unforgettable experience.
Schimpf saw Sundance as a major source of inspiration.
 “I have learned that these filmmakers put so much of their personal experiences into their films, which make them so much more powerful than many of Hollywood’s blockbuster films. It has really inspired a future filmmaker like myself and it has taught me to be creative. One doesn’t have to be the next Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorsese to make a real impact in cinema,” said Schimpf.
Russo simply claims it is “one of the best experiences [he has] ever had.”