Four films from the Communication Design department at New York City College of Technology (City Tech) recently became official selections for CUNY's annual Film Festival. One of the selections, a documentary entitled Youth Communication: Stories Worth Reading, was created by students over the winter break in a five-week period under the guidance of COMD assistant professor Josh A. Kapusinski. 

“We had nine willing and engaged students participate in four production meetings and four shoots on their own time during the break. I was genuinely impressed with their dedication and proud of their hard work. It speaks to the positive culture of our department,” said Kapusinski.

The film is an uplifting story about young individuals and their journey to overcome struggles through writing. “It gave me a newfound sense of confidence in my work. The night I found out it was selected, I truly believed that I can do anything I set my mind to,” said one of the directors of the documentary, COMD student Hoa Vu. 

Other students playing major roles in the film’s production were: Gabriela Martinez, Gennessy Palma, Melanie Martinez and Alvaro Nunez. Senior CLT Michael Cannetti also helped during different stages of the film’s production.

Kapusinski was honored with a selection of his own, Everybody's Different, an inspirational documentary about a Brooklyn high school student who overcomes all odds to pursue her dreams.

COMD chair and associate professor Douglas Davis was selected with his work Slay: A Visual Essay About Successfully Managing Fear, a cinematic visual portrait from his book, Creative Strategy and the Business of Design. The work was filmed by former City Tech student, Clifford Harry, now a professional cinematographer partnering with Davis.

Kapusinski and Davis earned the fourth selection with Imported From Brooklyn, a documentary about one of City Tech and CUNY’s most distinguished alumni, world-renowned typography and graphic design master Tony Di Spigna. 

“The film illustrates what COMD and Brooklyn has been to New York’s creative community for 70 years. The beauty of Tony’s story in Imported from Brooklyn, is that our department is still the public path to a creative career.Seven students helped in the production of the film and this collaboration delivers on the department goal to mirror the professional environment inside the classroom," said Davis.

The films will play on April 12, 2019 at Macaulay Honors College. For more information and showtimes, visit the festival page at https://cunyff.org/screenings.