As part of my culminating experience as a senior Film/Media Studies major, I wanted like to create and program a film series at the Campus Theatre. "Cinema is a communal experience with the power to entertain, enlighten, and inspire" (American Cinematheque). My goals for this project were to celebrate up-and-coming talent, brace community engagement, and meld the two objectives to establish an interactive viewing experience by showcasing independent films the community would not usually see. I hoped to bring LA's American Cinematheque to Lewisburg to what I call Breathless Film Festival, paying tribute to the 1950s French New Wave. The program embodies iconoclasm or "image-breaking" through untraditional style and avant-garde narratives. 

Throughout these last four years, I have been granted beneficial educational and experiential opportunities, such as attending the New York Film Festival my first year, interning at the Campus Theatre junior year, and going abroad to LA to partake in the entertainment industry firsthand. Last semester in LA, I had two internships. One in development with a production company and the other with a nonprofit that specialized with local repertory theaters. I have also developed a keen interest in community engagement, and the social engagement film-going inspires. 

I was eager to structure a fun and unique program for Bucknell students and members of the Lewisburg community, alike. Although we have a rather small film community, it is a passionate one, so exposing those who rarely get exposure to the multitude and diversity of films was important. I received over 25 submissions from filmmakers around the world and narrowed it down to 11 films making it a 72-minute program. The films represent the talent of aspiring student filmmakers (undergraduate and graduate-level) along with some already in the industry. It is an eclectic mix of comedy and drama as well as representation with LGBTQ+ work and LatinX communities in particular. Out of this, I have built relationships with these filmmakers and hope to stay connected beyond my time at Bucknell.  Ultimately, I wanted to give these films the justice they deserved. 

I ended up holding two events. One at the Campus Theatre on April 16th and another on campus on April 27th. I promoted the event through word of mouth, social media, and posting flyers around the community. I was able to achieve everything under budget, as well. 

This project encapsulates my love of film, support of the Campus Theatre, and what I hope to do in the film/media industry. Much of what being a producer entails is liaising and organizing production and building trust with dedicated people who want to get their work out there. Many filmmakers' careers start at a grassroots level by making shorts independents and applying to fellowships and festivals. I hope this festival helps open them up for more opportunities and establish a solid relationship for future professional work. I also hope this inspires others in their filmmaking endeavors and invigorates their passion for film. Much of what I plan to go into is talent representation, management, and production. Even though the business side occasionally prioritizes big budgets and profits over art, I want to show that there can be a balanced compromise between business and art.