ScreenGems The people behind the cameras might not have the same star power as the faces on screen, but they are often magicians, creating art and culture. Meet a handful of alumni who’ve branched out from their URI roots to create cinematic history. — By
Bethany Vaccaro ’06
Cherry Arnold ’87 MEDIA PRODUCER/FILMMAKER Cherry Arnold credits her undergraduate classes at URI with impressing on her the power of story in everyday life. Today, she uses that awareness as a media producer and filmmaker at the helm of her own production company, Big Orange Films. A native of East Providence, Arnold spent the years after graduation working as a marketing director for big names like Barnes & Noble. When she returned to her home state in 2002, she wanted to make a film about Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, the controversial former mayor of Providence. The documentary that resulted, BUDDY, The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Notorious Mayor, opened to critical acclaim and garnered a New England Emmy for Best Documentary. Currently, Arnold is in post-production with the forthcoming documentary One in 88, focusing on the growing phenomenon of autism. A project that touches her personally, she calls the information she learned while making the film “the key she never had” to understanding a close family member. She says, “The heart of this film is to help all of us better understand and support a friend, family member, or co-worker living with autism.” One in 88 was due to begin screening during the summer. • onein88.bigorangefilms.com
VIDEO AND MORE | URI.EDU/QUADANGLES
See more Screen Gems online: Jason Allard ’12, filmmaker Scott Beer ’08, filmmaker Evangelos Giovanis ’02, filmmaker Michael Shawver ’06, film writer, editor, and director.
24 QUADANGLES FALL 2013
PHOTOS BY: PETER GOLDBERG; MATTHEW JACOBS; JONATHAN CASERTA