Shifting Perspectives: How Two TCNJ Students Used Films Created During the Pandemic to Open People’s Minds
On October 27th, the Communication Studies Student Advisory Board chose to shake up their typical format of the monthly COMMTuesday events in order to highlight two incredible student films: Tides by Katrina Bragat ’20 and Lost Souls by Jake Leuzzi ’21. Both of these films had recently been screened at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Film Festival: Perspectives on COVID-19 and Others. While the Student Advisory Board always appreciates an opportunity to showcase the department’s talented students, the driving force behind choosing to have this screening was for the discussion that would follow. These films portray very different issues, but through hearing from the filmmakers themselves and allowing the audience to share their takeaways, similarities were found.
Tides by Katrina Bragat aimed to bring light to the racism Asian Americans face in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic. It began as her Senior Capstone for Dr. Susan Ryan’s class where she wanted to tell the narratives of
Asian Americans. However, when the Pandemic began Katrina’s focus shifted to the current narrative of Asian Americans. The title Tides, is a beautiful and articulate metaphor for the waves of racism Asian Americans face in this country. In her own words, she wanted to channel all of the emotions she was feeling about how the Asian American community is being treated into something constructive. Tides sparked discussion about racism, privilege, TCNJ as a predominantly white institution, and interactions between different minorities.
Lost Souls by Jake Leuzzi challenges viewers perspectives on life and what our purpose is. This film began as a random sound project using the things he learned in Professor Lorna Johnson-Frizell’s Intermediate Art of Editing course. Jake then realized that he loved encouraging others to challenge what they believe and question the ways in which our generation is indoctrinated. He said his view of the world has always been that you should follow what you love and what you are passionate about. Lost Souls sparked discussion on introspective reflection and one’s responsibility to themselves.
More than 20 people attended the Zoom screening and discussion. Everyone was in awe of the young filmmakers’ talents and ability to make the audience question their own beliefs and the world we live in. The President of TCNJ Asian American Association, Crystal Tran, stated, “This was my first time attending an event like this. I thought the short films were so well made and Katrina’s was incredibly relevant.”
Many faculty and staff also expressed how moving the films were and encouraged Katrina and Jake to further their reach. Dr. Simona Wright, an Italian professor, eloquently pinpointed the drastic differences between the two films, one being really outward-looking and one being inward-looking. Dr. Yifeng Hu, Chair of the Communication Studies Department, commented that both approaches were in great need at this moment of history. Dr. Hue-Sun Ahn, a Licensed Psychologist, Assistant Director of TCNJ Mental Health Services, extended the discussion to talk about the importance of taking care of one’s mental health during this difficult time. Dr. Larry Pearlstein, an Engineering professor, put in the Zoom Chat: “Both students did a great job and were very impressive in their responses to comments and questions — congratulations! Both are interesting films, in very different ways.”
When asked about her experience at the APHA film festival, Katrina said her film caught the eye of a lot more professionals than it would have otherwise. But she enjoyed the intimate screening offered by TCNJ COMMTuesday because it allowed her to have more time to express her viewpoint. She said, “I really enjoyed the event today! There were a lot of good questions and comments.” Jake said that the APHA film festival “was an awesome experience connecting with other creatives,” but he appreciated the opportunity to be showcased at the TCNJ screening: “loved the event and it felt really good to get the recognition from faculty and students.” Both Katrina and Jake want to continue to make films that challenge people’s perspectives and help make the world a better place.
Written by Carly Nocchi ’22