Numerous Columbia Filmmakers To Screen At Tribeca Film Festivals
Numerous Columbia filmmakers will screen this year at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. The crop of films selected for this year’s Tribeca truly show the collaborative nature of the Columbia film program: Each film has multiple alumni and faculty working in all facets of production.
The Fixer, a thriller about a journalist who transitions from covering the war in Afghanistan to local crime in a small Northern California town, is directed by Ian Olds ’06 and written by Olds and Paul Felten ’04. Joe Murphy ’08 edited the feature, which also stars Writing Program alumnus James Franco ’11. Read more about the film and its upcoming screenings here.
Always Shine, a feature about two actresses whose rivalry-bound friendship is tested during a weekend trip to big sur, is the product of three talented alumni: writer and producer Lawrence Michael Levine ’08, director and producerSophia Takal ‘07 BC, and assistant camera Jeff Bay Smith ’08. You can find more information on the festival screenings of the film, which is being praised for it’s deep performances and stunning photography, here.
AWOL, another feature made largely by Columbia alumni, tells the story about a recently enlisted army officer who plans to go AWOL to pursue his older love interest. The film was directed by Deb Shoval ’13 and written by Karolina Waclawiak ’10, with L.A Teodosio ’15 and Jessica Caldwell ’12 serving as producers and Andrew Hauser ’12 as co-producer. The long list of Columbia Filmmakers and faculty members who came together to make this film happen includes faculty member Jeffrey Wolf, who edited the feature; assistant director and current student Sophie Finkelstein; second assistant director and current student Matt Fennell; assistant editor Avram Dodson ’15; key grip Angelos Rompolis ’15; digital imaging technician Durier Ryan ’13; script consultants Marie Valentine Regan ’03 and faculty member David Schwab; editorial consultant and faculty member Susi Korda; set photographer Darya Zhuk ’15; and additional casting directors Rachel Brenna ’13 and Marc Singletary ’14.
The short film Ping Pong Coach, made by a team of current students as part of their MFA coursework, was directed and edited by Yi Liu and written and produced by Chieh Yang, with Shipei Wen serving as cinematographer andBianca Catbagan as assistant camera. The film, which was shot in Taiwan, tells the story of a young girl who develops a crush on her ping pong coach, who also happens to be her best friend’s father. Read more about Ping Pong Coach here.
The Tribeca Film Festival will be held in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan from April 13 to 24.