St. Mary's Academy Student Doc Fest
- Bagdad Theater |
- Wednesday, January 30, 2013
- 6:30 p.m. hosted reception; 7 p.m. films |
- Free |
- Minor with parent or guardian
About St. Mary's Academy Student Doc Fest
Cracks are starting to appear in the celluloid ceiling, but film is still a male-dominated industry. Women hold just 18 percent of key behind-the-scenes jobs in the top-grossing films, according to a 2011 report by the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film.
St. Mary's Academy is working to change that with its documentary filmmaking program, made possible in part due to generous support from past parent and former board member Vikki Mee and her Faerie Godmother Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation. Alissa Nicole Creamer, director of the feature-length documentary film "Never to Cry," co-leads the class with St. Mary's Academy Theatre Director Shannon More.
Students in this year's filmmaking class will present their documentaries at this free screening. The event is open to the public. There's a hosted reception at 6:30 p.m., and the screening begins at 7 p.m.
Mee helped launch the program in 2005 as a weekend class. It since has blossomed into a full-fledged elective class that meets during the school day. Students learn all aspects of documentary filmmaking, including camera techniques, lighting, sound, interviewing and editing. They work in teams to create their own short documentaries.
A number of alumnae who studied filmmaking at St. Mary's have gone on to pursue the discipline in college and as a career. Students in this year's filmmaking class have big dreams, as well. Senior Katie Kelly is taking the class for the third time, working with classmates Katerina Guzenko and Madison Sankovitz on a documentary about the local band Josh and Mer.
Kelly would like to attend Montana State University next year to study film, and thanks to this class, she'll have three documentary film credits to list on her college applications.
"I really enjoy it, and getting to see my work on the big screen is very satisfying and rewarding," Kelly said.
For members of the media with questions or seeking additional information, please contact Mary Ann Albright, Director of Communications, at 503.721.7715 (direct office), 503.984.2777 (cell) or maryann.albright@stmaryspdx.org.
About St. Mary's Academy
St. Mary's Academy is a Catholic high school for young women located in the heart of downtown Portland that provides a challenging college-preparatory education with a focus on developing the whole person. Founded in 1859 by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, St. Mary's Academy is Oregon's oldest continuously operating secondary school and offers a supportive learning environment to a diverse student body from more than 35 cities in urban, suburban and rural Oregon and Southwest Washington. It is the only school in the state to have received three Blue Ribbon awards from the U.S. Department of Education. For more information about St. Mary's Academy, please visit www.stmaryspdx.org.
