Writing Alumnus Grant Bergland '15 Receives Excellence in Filmmaking Award at 2020 Anthem Film Festival

Alumnus Grant Bergland '15 was recently awarded the Excellence in Filmmaking Award at the 2020 Anthem Film Festival for his short narrative film, Metrics. 

Written and directed by Bergland, Metrics follows Tom Ford (Gabriel Armentano)—an unfulfilled and lonely doorman who buys a virtual assistant, Marta (voiced by Jessica Bettencourt). Marta "leads Tom to choices he never imagined while selling him more products." When the loss of privacy becomes too much for Tom, he nearly gets rid of Marta—until she leads him to an unexpected relationship which "changes his buying habits" forever. 

The short film, which has a runtime of 15 minutes, also features the celebrity voice of Johnny Brennan, founder of The Jerky Boys. Watch a trailer for Metrics below. 

The Anthem Film Festival, which is now in its tenth year, is normally held in Las Vegas in mid-July. This year, heightened COVID-19 restrictions forced the festival to shut down, but thanks to a partnership with Salem Media, the festival and awards ceremony were streamed online. 

According to Anthem's directors, the festival's motto of "individuality, choice, and accountability can be seen in the themes of the 31 films selected for screening this year. They include films about education, journalism, and government regulation; history and politics; love and sacrifice; and individuals overcoming obstacles through resourcefulness and self-reliance." 

Grant Bergland is a former intern at The New Yorker and former professor at Columbia University and The New School in New York. He has written four novels and currently finances his writing by working as an SAT tutor.