Video Contests, Film Festivals, and Awards

9/11 Short Film, Directed by Florida Teen Filmmaker, to Debut at National Film Festival

By StudentFilmmakers.com
posted Apr 25, 2012, 11:51

(Fort Lauderdale, FL) � Reconciliation a documentary directed and co-produced by Pine Crest High School Student Lance Oppenheim, makes its screen debut this Thursday at the 4th Annual Wallabout Film Festival.

Reconciliation recounts the tragedy of September 11th, 2001, through the eyes of three people at Pine Crest, a teacher, a parent, and an alumni, who each share a personal connection to the fall of the Twin Towers.

Michael Testa, now a teacher, was a performer at the New York City Opera, which was about to open its season. Pine Crest parent Janet Roy�s brother was a celebrated captain in the FDNY who was called to duty that morning.

Charlie Cobb, an alumnus, lived and worked close to Ground Zero and found himself thrust into the center of the chaos. Each recounted their 9/11 memories to Oppenheim and his film class, and how they choose to remain hopeful despite the events of that day.

The short film, which has already garnered the attention of thousands after debuting online earlier this year, will be screened for the first time at Wallabout, a student-run film festival produced by The Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.

Wallabout is a forum for supporting student filmmaking and screens student films for peers, artists and industry professionals.

Reconciliation will be shown this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at IndieScreen, an independent theater located at 289 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Oppenheim, a budding young filmmaker who will be interning for a major Hollywood studio this summer, is proud to have his film debut alongside nearly two dozen other shorts produced by other high school, college and graduate students.

�Making this movie was a visceral experience and I�m looking forward to sharing it with a live audience of my peers,� Oppenheim said. �This was my way of transforming what was for many of us a historical event into a living, breathing memory.�

Lance Oppenheim will be on-hand for the screening and will answer questions following the screening at 7:45 p.m.

Reconciliation has been recognized with an honorable mention by the Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which administers the Emmy Awards, and will also be screened at the Seattle True Independent Film Festival in May.

It was originally accepted into the East Coast Film Festival but had to be disqualified because the festival is open to college students only.

The Hands On Network, one of the largest volunteer networks in the country, provided Oppenheim with a grant to make the film. It was also supported by GenernationOn, a global youth service organization.

Watch Reconciliation: http://vimeo.com/34647517





Resources:

www.wallabout.org