CMU Drama: The 2025 Sundance Film Festival kicks off this week, and one of the films in the Shorts Program is long on CMU talent!
“Goodnight” is directed and co-written by Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama alumna Isabel Pask (Class of 2017). Its cast and creative team is comprised of nearly a dozen more School of Drama alumni, and it will be screened this week at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
5 comments:
Reading this article was super inspiring because I don’t think I ever realized how big our alumni network and how interconnected we are as a community. I think this article really reminded me that the entertainment industry is so small and that probably everywhere I go in the future, I will meet CMU alumni and work with them on projects. Reading this article also reminded me that because of all the doors that CMU opens and how far our reach is, that we have the opportunity to succeed a lot easier which is not something that should be taken lightly. I wonder after I graduate how far I will go in my career and where I will be 10 years after I graduate. Joining the workforce seems so intimidating to me but this article reminded me that I can still form a really solid support network around me and that the friends I make in college can be people that I carry forth into the rest of my life.
This story of community and art is a truly powerful one. You can tell by reading about what they do and how they talk about it that this is something they derive great joy from. I loved the director’s reference to Playground and getting to make art on your own terms. Having recently participated in my first Playground, I completely agree that the most fulfilling art is that which has no strings attached. Just art for the sake of art. That spirit, which Playground so deftly captures, is something I hope to carry with me into my career, even into projects that do have strings attached. Because the joy of making is why we do it, so remembering that is vital. It is clear that these artists have remembered it and continue to create and capture that spirit in new ways. Overall, the story of this group is an uplifting tale of persistence and joy.
I have watched all of the current films produced by the School of Drama but how cool is it that they are now at Sundance. I have never seen this film, but I know some alumni from the school of drama worked on it. This story is super cool and very inspirational because we have alumni working everywhere and doing everything, there are no limits on what we can do once finishing this program. I am not over the fact that this is going to be screened at Sundance Utah this year. Wow. Just so cool. There are so many School of Drama film screenings at Sundance this year, which are crazy and cool, and all of the production designs for these films look so good and interesting. The two other ones involve Josh Gad and Kaja Dunn, two super cool people and really knowledgeable in their respective fields and work.
This is such a cool story. It’s awesome that Goodnight made it to Sundance, and even better that it’s packed with CMU alumni. It’s so crazy how so many of them stuck together after school and are now making movies as a team. That kind of support is really rare. The concept of the movie is super interesting. A hospice nurse hiring her babysitter to take care of her like a kid for a night? That’s such a unique and kind of sad idea, but it makes sense. Growing up comes with so much pressure, and I really like how Isabel Pask wanted to explore that. It’s wild that this is her first time directing, and now she’s premiering at one of the biggest film festivals out there. The part about Dagmara Dominczyk saying yes to the role because of Pask’s letter was really cool. Imagine meeting someone you look up to, and years later, they’re starring in your movie. That had to be such a crazy moment for her. I really hope the film does well!!
The sense of community that one gets from this kind of production is something to strive for on every production - theatrical or film. Going from acting to filmmaking is not a large jump, but seems to be a significant pipeline that I’m interested in: what makes a filmmaker unique is one’s background in the world. The alumni network is something that reassures me from time to time about the expansiveness and depth of what careers that CMU could lead me into, and the connections that I can establish as I’m beginning my career. The joy that emanates from these folks is equally as reassuring. I can also appreciate the way that the various alumni wear different hats - so to speak - on a singular production, and / or change roles for each individual job. The analogy with independent film and Playground is an interesting one, and I hope to be more involved in Playground next year for the very same reason.
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