NEWSBRIEFS LECTRIC CAR-CHARGING STATIONS E INSTALLED ON CAMPUS Purchase College received a $15,000 federal grant to buy electric vehicle –charging stations, which are rare (if not completely absent) in Westchester County. The stations, located near the entrance of the Purchase Park2Fly airport shuttle operation, are now up and running.
F OCUS ON FRENCH CINEMA 2012 Regional audiences experienced the best contemporary French-language films from France, Belgium, Quebec, and Africa during Focus on French Cinema 2012, held March 23–25 at The Performing Arts Center. The rigorous two-week training residency will take place on campus at Purchase College. The NYO-USA initiative marks the beginning of an ongoing partnership between Carnegie Hall and Purchase College, in which the two organizations will share resources and explore collaborations in support of their missions and advancing shared educational goals. Thomas J. Schwarz, president of Purchase College, is a member of the Advisory Council of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. Following the residency program at Purchase, the NYO-USA, conducted by Maestro Gergiev, will hold debut performances at the college’s Performing Arts Center and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. An international tour will follow, spanning Moscow, St. Petersburg, and London, with Maesto Gergiev at the podium.
A LUMNUS WINS ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATION James Spione ‘85, an independent filmmaker based in Katonah, NY, received an Oscar nomination for Documentary Short Subject, for his film Incident in New Baghdad. Although a different film ultimately received the award, Incident in New Baghdad remains highly acclaimed, James Spione recognized as the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival’s Best Documentary Short. The film recounts the July 2007 killing of two Reuters journalists and a number of unarmed civilians by U.S. attack helicopters. U.S. Army Specialist Ethan McCord, who witnessed the attack and rescued two children caught in the crossfire, was denied psychological treatment in Iraq for his PTSD. McCord, who turned against the war as a result of his experiences, began traveling the country, speaking out for the rights of PTSD sufferers and against the American wars in the Middle East, as a result of the WikiLeaks release of the cockpit video of the incident.
Presented by the Alliance Francaise of Greenwich in partnership with Purchase’s School of Film and Media Studies, the Avon Theatre, and the Greenwich Arts Council, the festival included an exclusive screening of Angele et Tony. Directed by Alix Delaporte, Angele et Tony has taken the French cinema community by storm with both leading actors, Clotilde Hesme (Angele) and Gregory Gadebois (Tony), winning France’s most coveted national film award, the Cesar. The festival also featured continuous screenings of ten other critically-acclaimed feature films and shorts. According to Renee Amory Ketcham, president of the Alliance Francaise of Greenwich, “The festival was an extraordinary opportunity for people in this region to experience the best of the best right in their own backyard.” The Opening Night Gala featured a buffet with fine French cuisine, courtesy of Les Maitres Cuisiniers de France and the Academie Culinaire de France, and champagne donated by Perrier Joet.
According to Michelle Stewart, chair of the School of Film and Media Studies, students were invited to produce a documentary film of the entire festival. “It was total immersion for them,” she said.
Filmmaker magazine described Incident in New Baghdad as “one powerful and disturbing film.” Spione’s films include Inauguration: Spirit of the Crowd (2009), Our Island Home (2008), American Farm (2005), and others. He has worked as a director, writer, and producer in film and television. P U R C H A S E | 21