Film Program

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Hear more about how St. Ed's Film Department teaches students about visual storytelling through experiential learning.

Read the Summer 2015 St. Edward Magazine feature on the Film Department, "Focus On Film."

FILM AT ST. EDWARD

The St. Edward Film Department echoes director Stanley Kubrick's adage that "the best education in film is to make one."

Through our seven courses (including electives and International Baccalaureate offerings), we cultivate a love for the artform by empowering St. Edward's young artists to not only critically view and discuss great cinematic works from around the globe, but also write, light, film and edit their own short films.

Multiple graduates of the Film Department have been accepted into the most acclaimed film schools in the country (USC, NYU's Tisch School, Belmont University), have earned accolades in international, national and regional film festivals, and have worked on commercial campaigns featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Browns, Estabrook Corporation, Lakewood Catholic Academy and Nosotros Gym.

Several of our Film alumni have gone on to produce work for lauded institutions, including Vogue Magazine, ABC (Alec Battistoni 15') and Factory Seconds, a brass trio featuring members of the Cleveland Orchestra (Kevin Ng 17'). Connor Ling '16 and Andre Holland '19 have served as featured interns for the Greater Cleveland Film Commission.

And since 2017, our young filmmakers have won seven of America's most coveted young filmmaker awards: the Student Production Awards from The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, best known for their annual presentation of the Emmys.

SHORT DOCUMENTARY

Since 2016, over 70 of our IB Film students have collaborated on a total of four award-winning pro bono short documentaries for highly respected Cleveland non-profits, including Beck Center for the Arts, Cleveland Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services, the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless and the West Side Catholic Center. These films serve as our upperclassmen's expression of Servant Leadership within the context of film class.

Their work has been featured in the 44th, 43rd and 41st Cleveland International Film Festivals, the 2017 Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, Hathaway Brown's iMagine Festival, the Kids Film It Festival and won 4 Student Production Emmys from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

In partnership with the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, the St. Edward Film Department committed its Spring 2018 semester to the creation of "Labyrinth": a collection of interviews in which women throughout Greater Cleveland share their experiences with misogyny, sexual harassment and assault. While the production of "Labyrinth" will enable our students to advance their skills in digital filmmaking and documentary ethics, it will double as a means of confirming our Holy Cross commitment to fostering good relationships--specifically by empowering these young men to develop more authentic listening skills and greater compassion towards women.

Finn Norman--lead editor for his IB Film cohort--had his Director's Cut win our first ever National Student Production Award from NATAS; along with his fellow filmmakers Malen Cuturic and Andre Holland, Finn was featured on NPR's "The Sound of Ideas" where he discussed the project with host Mike McIntyre.

In the wake of Pope Francis’ "Share The Journey" campaign, which aims to create a world that welcomes immigrants, refugees and migrants with dignity and respect, we devoted much of the 2017 school year to the production of "Out Of The Garden":

a short documentary about Syrian refugees who have resettled in Northeast Ohio. From January to May, 23 International Baccalaureate Film students at St. Edward engaged in a rigorous process to document the refugee crisis as it pertained to Greater Cleveland; our young filmmakers participated in an extended survey of what makes for effective and ethical documentaries, researched the complex nature of the Syrian Civil War, and trained with digital video and audio equipment

that would enable them to capture the stories of their resettled neighbors.

"Razzle Dazzle" was our pilot short documentary, made in tandem with Beck Center for the Arts. From January to May of 2016, our IB Film juniors forged a partnership with Lakewood’s Beck Center for the Arts to produce a short documentary about Razzle Dazzle: an annual musical revue that features special needs artists from Northeastern Ohio.

Click here to see the work of our student filmmakers.

FILM AWARDS

As of May 2020, our Film students have been awarded the following for their work: 4 international awards / 13 national awards / 31 regional awards. Below are the Top 10 awards that St. Edward Film students have received:

International Awards

2020 - 44th Cleveland International Film Festival

Official Selection (Local Heroes Program) - Forest City Blues

2019 - 43rd Cleveland International Film Festival

Official Selection (Local Heroes Program) - Labyrinth

Official Selection (Local Heroes Program) - Out Of The Garden

2017 - 41st Cleveland International Film Festival

Official FilmSlam selection - Razzle Dazzle

National Awards

2020 Golden Lion Film Festival (Cincinnati, OH)

Finalist - The Invasion (First film out of St. Ed's Animation 1 course to win an award)

2019 Kids Film It Festival