Greenwich Post
Brunswick film festival gets Greenwich kids going global

Apr 21, 2008

From left, Brunswick parents Jessie Jamar and Priscilla Masselink, co-chaired the fourth annual Fundance Foreign Film Festival.

Despite the balmy weather this past Saturday, more than 100 students from Brunswick, Greenwich Academy, The Convent of the Sacred Heart and Greenwich Country Day School assembled at Greenwich Academy’s Massey Theater to watch films made by their classmates for The Fundance Foreign Film Festival’s Student Film Competition.

A panel of three film industry professions chose the 13 films premiered from the more than 40 films submitted. John Farr, one of the judges and a co-founder of the Avon Theatre Film Center in Stamford who writes a weekly film blog for the Huffington Post, introduced the student films. Mr. Farr said he was impressed by the quality of these student films and struck by what the technology has enabled this generation to accomplish in film that previous generations could only hope to do as professionals.

The judges chose The New Style, directed by Greenwich Academy students Megan Sperry, Olivia Alchek, Carley Petrone as the Middle School Best Film; and Dig Two Graves, directed by Jake Orthwein, a ninth grade Greenwich Country Day Student in the Upper School Best Film category. Dig Two Graves took it’s inspiration from a proverb by the ancient Chinese teacher and philosopher Confucius, “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.”

The audience voted to award Best Middle School Film to The Simple Chase, directed by Brunswick eigth grader Will Peisch; and Best Upper School Film to One Fine Date, directed by Diana Snyder from Greenwich Academy.

Best Documentary went to Brunswick 10th grader Gus Ruchman for Par for the Course, a humorous non-fiction film about golfing with his grandfather in Florida. The Honorable Mention award went to Magic, an animated film, directed by Brunswick eighth grader Ray Tierney.

Brunswick seeks to provide a global perspective with its educational curriculum and student activities. The Annual Fundance Foreign Film Festival is part of this integrated approach. Each year the Festival screens the best and most recent foreign films that showcase children and young adults from around the world. Fundance’s mission is not only to entertain, but also to provide insights into different cultures and, hopefully, to inspire future generations of responsible, concerned, and committed global citizens.

“By looking beyond our local community, we hope to enlighten our students and encourage them to understand the universal connection we all share,” said Thomas W. Philip, Headmaster.

The fifth annual Fundance Foreign Film Festival, which is scheduled for Feb. 7 and 8, 2009, will be open to the public.

“Hosting Fundance next year in Brunswick School’s new Center for the Arts will allow us to broaden the student film competition to include more area schools,” said Priscilla Masselink, co-chair of the Fundance committee. “It will also help us to realize our aspiration of extending an invitation to the entire community.”


© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers