March 9, 2016

Drexel had a fantastic year at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. This January, seven current and former Film & Video students were represented in this year’s 72 film selections, including current students Lucy Moroukian, Kevin Quinn and Er3yn Gaudio, who all worked in Los Angeles last summer on the film FIRST GIRL I LOVED, recipient of the Audience Award in Sundance’s NEXT section; and alum Sean Dunkley, who served as colorist on several Sundance premieres including THE REVISED FUNDAMENTALS OF CAREGIVING, starring Paul Rudd and Selena Gomez and TALLULAH, starring Ellen Page. 

“Having the opportunity to work on FIRST GIRL I LOVED was one of the most surreal things I have ever experienced,” Lucy Moroukian said. “From the moment I walked on set, that crew was my family. I am so amazed and proud of every person I worked with, and it is so wonderful to see it get the recognition it deserves.” 

Moroukian and Quinn had just finished their freshman year when they were selected for the Pennoni Honor’s College Westphal iStar program, designed to give students an early opportunity to experience LA, and Gaudio was participating in the Westphal in Los Angeles summer program when she joined the movie’s audio department. 

Kevin Quinn shares, “I was a freshman in film school who walked on set as a grip intern, but by the end of the shoot I had become a best boy.  To have had the chance to experience what it's really like to work in the film industry truly informed my perspective on the filmmaking process.” 

Current student Jake Westphal also attended the festival in support of JACQUELINE (ARGENTINE), a feature-length mockumenary for which he served as junior colorist during his co-op at Irving Harvey in New York.  

Alum Sal Sciortino was VFX supervisor on another Sundance selection, SLEIGHT, a sci-fi/magic realism film acquired by WWE Studios and Blumhouse Productions; and alum Josh Brede was colorist on the short film selection KILLER.