杏吧原版

The writing of the film 杏吧原版淪unrise杏吧原版� was deeply personal to Caleb Taylor 杏吧原版�25. 杏吧原版淭he initial idea stemmed from me mixing together multiple other stories I had written for this same project,杏吧原版� he explained. 杏吧原版淥nce I had the basic concept down, 杏吧原版淪unrise杏吧原版� became much more.杏吧原版�

The short film began to incorporate themes that mattered to him, such as grief, addiction, and mental health. 杏吧原版溞影稍鏄Sunrise杏吧原版� isn杏吧原版檛 necessarily about my life,杏吧原版� he said, 杏吧原版渂ut it杏吧原版檚 definitely a good way of expressing the way I杏吧原版檝e felt about grief and mental health.杏吧原版�

This approach paid off. 杏吧原版淪unrise杏吧原版� was recognized by the Boston/New England chapter of the , with five student production awards, including Director, Editor, Cinematography, Fiction Film-Long Form, and Audio/Sound. It also took home the Cinematic Excellence Award at the 2025 Digital Media CT Awards. A team of Chargers also won in the music video category for 杏吧原版淎yminor- Back Where we Belong.杏吧原版�

Behind the accolades were long nights, challenges on set, and a firm determination to tell the story. 杏吧原版淲ith a crew of only 11 people and a whole lot to get done in pre and postproduction,杏吧原版� Caleb shared, 杏吧原版淚 ended up spending a lot of long days and late nights doing extra work on 杏吧原版楽unrise,杏吧原版� and at times it felt pointless. But I kept pushing through.

杏吧原版淭he awards we杏吧原版檝e won are all recognition that we worked hard and that this is just the start of what we杏吧原版檙e all capable of doing,杏吧原版� he continued.

Caleb credits much of his success to the support and resources he found at the University of New Haven. In particular, he's thankful to the crew杏吧原版檚 杏吧原版渁mazing faculty adviser Paul Falcone, MBA, who taught us everything we needed to even begin the project,杏吧原版� Caleb said. 杏吧原版淗e was a major guiding voice helping things run much more smoothly.杏吧原版�

Easy access to professional-grade equipment and shooting locations also played a major role. 杏吧原版淭he school was super helpful,杏吧原版� Caleb said, 杏吧原版減roviding us with equipment and allowing us to use on-campus locations for reshoots.杏吧原版�

Still, one of the biggest obstacles was the chaos of filming outside, in public. 杏吧原版淎 lot of people love to be in front of a camera,杏吧原版� he joked, 杏吧原版渁nd that definitely includes people who enjoy going out on Saturday nights.杏吧原版� Despite the distractions, he said, 杏吧原版淭he whole team pulled together and really focused during the shoot.杏吧原版�

In the end, it was teamwork that mattered more than just the final product. 杏吧原版溞影稍鏅Sunrise杏吧原版� changed my life,杏吧原版� Caleb reflected. 杏吧原版淚 made so many close friends with my crew, and even outside of the film, and it allowed me to reach out and connect with people I otherwise probably wouldn杏吧原版檛 have.

杏吧原版淚杏吧原版檇 gladly do it again,杏吧原版� he continued, 杏吧原版渒nowing it would lead me to the relationships I have today.杏吧原版�

Mackenzie Marquardt 杏吧原版�26, writer and director of 杏吧原版淭hrough Her Eyes,杏吧原版� told a different kind of story. Her emotionally charged documentary earned three Student Production Award honorable mentions as well as the Emerging Creator Award at the Digital Media CT Awards.

The subject was close to home: her mother杏吧原版檚 experience living with blindness. 杏吧原版淭he hardest part,杏吧原版� Mackenzie said, 杏吧原版渨as showing my seemingly 'normal' perspective, while also shedding light on my mom杏吧原版檚 life in a way that someone who杏吧原版檚 never experienced it could understand.杏吧原版�

At first, she struggled with the vulnerability of sharing such a personal story, but she said, 杏吧原版淯ltimately, I wanted to raise awareness and share my mom's story in an authentic way.杏吧原版�

While she didn杏吧原版檛 take home the top prize, the recognition she received was still deeply validating. 杏吧原版淚t acted as a pushing force that reinforced what I already knew: my mom杏吧原版檚 story needed to be shared,杏吧原版� she said. 杏吧原版淚t gave me internal confirmation that what I was doing was meaningful and worth all the effort.

杏吧原版淪he doesn杏吧原版檛 quit, no matter how difficult things get,杏吧原版� Mackenzie continued, speaking about her mom. 杏吧原版淎nd I find that strength more inspiring than anything.杏吧原版�

The night of the awards was more than a celebration, it was a moment of realization for many of the students involved.

杏吧原版淢y fellow classmates and I attended the 48th Boston/New England Emmy Awards in Boston, Massachusetts to accept our Student Production Awards,杏吧原版� shared Alexa Maniccia 杏吧原版�26, who served as assistant director on the music video for Back Where We Belong, which won in the music video category. 杏吧原版淎ttending the Emmy Awards and standing in front of professionals in my industry who were going to be honored on the same stage as me was such a surreal and amazing experience.杏吧原版�

Alexa recalled how powerful it was to be surrounded by industry leaders and Emmy winners, and to realize she was being recognized among them. 杏吧原版淲e were waiting in line to take photos and ended up in front of a group of people who had just won actual Emmys,杏吧原版� she said. 杏吧原版淭hat moment helped it really set in for me.杏吧原版�

What stood out most to her, beyond the glitz of the ceremony, was the collective achievement. 杏吧原版淚t was clear we exceeded many of the other schools with the amount of awards, and we were able to win against bigger schools with bigger communication programs,杏吧原版� she said. 杏吧原版淭his opportunity goes to show how talented the students at the University of New Haven are.杏吧原版�

Mackenzie also pointed to the mentorship she received from Prof. Falcone as a key to her success.

For Mackenzie, it was Prof. Falcone杏吧原版檚 Film Production I class that opened the door. 杏吧原版淧aul noticed the potential of my documentary before I even did,杏吧原版� she said. 杏吧原版淗e helped it come to life in ways I couldn杏吧原版檛 have imagined.杏吧原版�

Caleb echoed that sentiment: 杏吧原版淧aul always said to me that this was my chance to make the story I wanted, and I杏吧原版檇 like to think I took that and ran.杏吧原版�

Their advice to future filmmakers is simple but powerful. 杏吧原版淒on杏吧原版檛 make your movies trying to please 100% of the people who watch them,杏吧原版� Caleb said. 杏吧原版淭ry to make a movie that means something to you and that will mean something to others.杏吧原版�

Mackenzie agreed. 杏吧原版淪tick to your authentic vision and trust your gut when making anything. Don杏吧原版檛 be afraid to tell a story that matters to you. Your passion will shine through.杏吧原版�