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Burlington College Student Rebecca Heller Has Film Selected Film Festival

Rebecca Heller is a 2005 graduate of the Cinema Studies and Film Production program at Burlington College.  She has a special interest in cinematography and has been a cinematographer on numerous student productions. The cinematography of Sushi is one distinguishing qualities of the film.

Sushi was the film Rebecca made for her senior degree project. Shot on location in Burlington and featuring several Burlington landmarks (Al’s French Fries, City Market), Sushi tells the story of a young woman’s desire to come to terms with her growing awareness that she is not the person her parents think she is. The 9 minute film was shot on digital video using a Panasonic “24P” camera and edited in Final Cut Pro.  The actors and technical crew are Burlington College students.

Sushi had its first public screening as part of the Vermont Filmmakers Showcase of the 2004 Vermont International Film Festival. In April, Ms. Heller received notice that the film would be screened at the historic Castro Theatre as an official selection in the 2005 San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, which will take place June 16-26. The prestigious San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival is the world's oldest and largest festival celebrating gay/lesbian/bisexual/transsexual cinema. Past festivals have delighted over 80,000 attendees with nearly 80 features, including many world and U.S. premieres, and over 150 short films.    

“Rebecca’s film sets a new standard for filmmaking at the College,” said Barry Snyder, Chair of the Department of Cinema Studies and Film Production at Burlington College. “The visual compositions, the acting, the narrative rhythms - everything about it is first rate. The filmmaking sensibility on display of Sushi is exquisite, and applied to a powerfully human and uplifting story, the result is something quite special.”