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SVA BFA Film
NEWS & EVENTS

October 14
2024

Alumni Blog: Annie Fleisch

Photograph of Annie Fleisch. She is wearing a long-sleeved maroon dress and smiling. She stands in front of a white wall displaying the logos of various film festival sponsors.

Annie Fleisch writes an alumni blog on how her award winning thesis film, Home Coming, led to an acquisitions trainee position at Sony Pictures Classics. 

 

Photograph of four people smiling in front of a white wall. The wall behind them is labeled “Sony Pictures Classics” in big black text and displays printed still images from various movies.

I completed my thesis film Home Coming in April 2023.

I was tremendously proud of the product my team and I created, and it was bittersweet to celebrate the end of this chapter. Watching Home Coming play in front of an audience for the first time at the SVA thesis screening was powerful and exciting. The audience reaction gave me confidence to submit my short to film festivals. However, during this time, the unknowingness of post grad was beginning to loom over me. With graduation only a month away, I didn’t know what was next. This thought was scary, but equally as exciting – a blank slate for opportunity.

Poster for the film Home Coming. The words “An Annie Fleisch Film”, the title “Home Coming”, and the tagline, “She’s still missing,” comprise the top half of the poster, which is designed as black text against a notebook paper background. The bottom half is a dark photo of a young woman’s face and chest, “ripped off” just above her nose. Credits in small white text are displayed at the very bottom of the poster, and seven film festival laurels decorate the area above them.

A year later, my thesis film became an official selection at the Count Basie Center Breakthrough Filmmaker Festival.

This is a small festival in Red Bank, New Jersey open to emerging filmmakers who are New Jersey residents. My film screened alongside many other impressive shorts. It was fun indulging in the opportunities the festival had to offer, including free in-person workshops, panels with industry professionals, and networking opportunities.

At the end of the evening, they hosted an awards ceremony. Home Coming was awarded Best Writing and Best Acting Ensemble in the college category. It was an unexpected surprise! Then, my film won the big award of the night: Best College Film. It took a moment for reality to sink in before I got out of my chair and accepted the award. Saying I was shocked is an understatement. Fortunately the surprises didn’t stop there. With the win of “Best Film,” I was also awarded the opportunity to work as a trainee in the acquisitions department of Sony Pictures Classics for two weeks.

Working at Sony Pictures Classics was truly a dream come true.

As someone who graduated during one of the industry’s biggest strikes, there wasn’t much work available for me (or anyone). I worked as a production assistant on various shows while at SVA, but that was now all halted. Regardless, I wanted to try something new. I’d been itching to get experience working at a production company or studio to explore the other facets of filmmaking. This opportunity seemed too good to be true.

Photograph of Annie Fleisch greeting two men at an awards podium. She is smiling and shaking one of their hands while the other hands her the award she has won.

Who knew this opportunity would take me back to my stomping grounds?

I began my time at Sony Pictures Classics in July, and walked to their office everyday. The Sony building was across the street from Madison Square Park, and I thought how wild it is to be a 10-minute walk from SVA. It’s funny when life has full circle moments.

The team at Sony Pictures Classics is small but mighty.

Everyone I met was so kind and helped me feel welcomed although I was only there for a short time. I worked directly under the VP of Acquisitions and was in constant communication with every member of the acquisitions team. My day-to-day responsibilities included writing script coverage, watching submitted films and providing feedback, participating in department meetings, etc.

It was fascinating to get a glimpse of how a notable and distinguished distribution company such as SPC operates. During my time there, I was trying to soak in as much as I could. It was sad to leave on my last day; I felt like I was just getting into the groove of things. I’m grateful for the connections I made during my time there and couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I truly hope to work again with them in the future.

Filed Under: Alumni Blog