Julianna Jaworski, FCLC 2024

MAJOR: Directing Concentration in Theatre

BIO: JuJu Jaworski is a Writer and Director, originally from Massachusetts and based in New York City. Her work has been primarily focused in Theatre, but she has branched into Film with her short-film, HARBOR, receiving the Fordham Practice and Creative Research Grant. She has worked professionally in theatre in both regional spaces and New York spaces. JuJu is a multi-hyphenate artist who aims to cultivate a space of interconnection between artists who believe in the goodness of art itself.

PROJECT TITLE: HARBOR - A Short Film

MENTOR: Terrence I Mosley, Department of Theatre Arts

ABSTRACT: For the Research and Creative Practice Grant, I completed proof of concept of one of my feature films, “HARBOR”. Film is a passion of mine and within the past three months, I have completed two full-length screenplays and hosted table readings on Zoom. With the Creative Practice Grant, I was able to expand my knowledge in the world of filmmaking and concretely enter this medium. HARBOR follows Elliot, 19, as she returns to her New England town for Thanksgiving Break as a freshman in college. This film examines the feeling of outgrowing your childhood home as you step into adulthood. Rarely, if ever, do we, as an audience, see a college based coming-of-age story. This film asks the question, “What do you do when your childhood home feels like a dollhouse? How do you grow into the newest version of yourself without abandoning your past?” Several of these feelings resonate with college-age audiences and especially students at FCLC. I had multiple research questions when conducting this project – some being physical resource based questions and others being thematic for the personal journey. The physical research question, simply put, was, “How do you shoot a short film?”. There are aspects of budgeting, logistics, and working equipment that are valuable skills for creatives, such as myself, who see themselves going into this industry. Thematically speaking, I evaluated: “What does home truly mean? How do young adults grow into different versions of ourselves?”. The experience of making this film was truly invaluable to me as a student and creative, as well as a step forward in my career path.