Photos by Paige St. Laurent
On Tuesday, April 28, at 7 p.m., the Screen Studies Program will host the Clark University community, family, and friends to celebrate the filmmaking accomplishments of graduating seniors, alongside work from juniors, sophomores, and first-year students. The event takes place in Razzo Hall.
Seniors Saanvi Singh (shown above with Gyani Pradhan Wong Ah Sui ’24 and Reevu Majumdar ’28) and Haley Sullivan will each show films made over the course of their yearlong honors thesis. Screen Studies Program Director Soren Sorensen served as faculty advisor for both students.
Singh’s short experimental drama, Pieces of Belonging, follows Krish, who is struggling to embrace his fractured identity on the precipice of a major life transition. Dreams and reality blur for Krish as he prepares to move into the next phase of his life: college. Recurring dreams of being in a void, seeing places and people that are part of his memory or maybe just figments of his imagination, mirror his dilemma of finding out who he is on college applications and in daily conversations.
Guilt Tripper is Haley Sullivan’s short thriller. Amy gets involved with Liam, a man with a questionable past, whose secrets start to reveal themselves when she looks through his journal. Amy and her best friend, Sam, try to find out more, all while making sure Liam doesn’t catch them in the act.
In addition to the two honors thesis projects, the event will feature short films from students in two advanced Screen Studies production offerings this semester (SCRN 208 and SCRN 219).
Housed in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Screen Studies is a growing program, and collaboration among its 50 majors and recent graduates has never been stronger, Sorensen notes. “This is, in part, due to the advent of the Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design and its lower-level screening room, and 1,600-square-foot sound stage, where Saanvi shot most of her film,” he says.
Many current Screen Studies majors worked as crew members on their classmates’ projects, and recent Screen alumni — including Angel Rojas ’25, Zeke Fairley ’25, and Gyani Pradhan Wong Ah Sui ’24 — returned to campus to lend a hand.
Now a buzzy annual tradition at Clark, a packed house is expected to fill Razzo Hall with the energy of a Hollywood film premiere. Sorensen suggests arriving early for a good seat. The screening is free and open to the public.
