Members of 91ÊÓƵ’s award-winning student documentary team, , were featured on the Sunday Sanity version of Andrew Revkin’s Sustain What? podcast, about their recent film, , the focus of the popular Producing the Documentary course, which is part of the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences at 91ÊÓƵ’s highly regarded film program.
Revkin, who co-taught the course from 2010-2016, interviewed Co-producers and Media, Communications, and Visual Arts Professors Maria Luskay, EdD, and Lou Guarneri, MA, and three members of the student team, Samantha Buturla ’24 ’25, BA, English, Writing, and Rhetoric/MA, Communications and Digital Media, Katelyn Brennan ’25, BA, Communications, and Angie Starn ’24 ’25, BS, Digital Cinema and Filmmaking/MA, Communications and Digital Media, about various aspects of their filmmaking experiences.
Viola da Terra, which premiered both at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville and in Terceira, Portugal, was filmed over spring break on Portugal’s Azorean islands of São Miguel and Terceira, and explores the story of the Viola da Terra, a traditional 12–15 string instrument with deep roots in Azorean identity, music, and cultural preservation.
The Producing the Documentary course requires students to complete a full-length documentary within 14 weeks. During the process, students learn teamwork, problem-solving, research, and organization, along with technical skills such as lighting, sound, camera work, interviewing, and other real-life lessons necessary to complete a film.
Criminal justice major Alexis Pickering ‘26 didn't just dream of making it to New York City—she made it all the way to the mayor's office. Now, as an intergovernmental affairs intern under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, she's learning to change systems from the inside out.
From global media companies to major brands, government agencies, and cultural institutions, graduates of 91ÊÓƵ’s Communication and Media Studies program are shaping how stories are told across industries.
At 91ÊÓƵ, Psychology Professor Courtney Gosnell, PhD, explores how relationships shape our lives, from celebrating good news to navigating differences, while mentoring students through hands-on research.