Grad's film to premiere at Sundance

A film produced by Harvard Extension School graduate Ryan Slattery, ALB ’09, has been selected to screen at the prestigious 2012 Sundance Film Festival later this month. The film, called Playtime (Spielzeit), will compete in the International Shorts program in Park City, Utah, January 19 through 29. Slattery’s film is one of only 64 short films selected from a record 7,675 submissions for this year’s Sundance Short Film program.

“This is one of the greatest achievements for a filmmaker,” comments Slattery on the selection. “We’re excited for the opportunity to be a part of it.” 

After receiving his undergraduate degree (ALB) at Harvard Extension School, Slattery went on to pursue his MFA in film and television production at the renowned UCLA Film School, graduating in 2011. In a unique collaboration between graduate students from UCLA and the Internationale Filmschule Köln (ifs) in Germany, the film was shot entirely on location in Cologne, Germany. It was inspired by Billy Wilder’s 1930 People on Sunday (Menschen am Sonntag) and is described as a seamless journey through German youth and innocence on a Sunday afternoon. Says Slattery, who used this film as his production thesis, “It focuses on the innocence of youth and the appreciation of the simple things in life. It is an adorable film; it’s funny and heartwarming, yet piquant and full of life.”

While at UCLA, Slattery won both audience and jury prizes at UCLA’s Festival of New Creative Work. At Harvard Extension School, he was the recipient of a Commencement Speaker Prize and delivered the 2009 commencement address, “Growing in Wisdom.” Slattery, also an actor, began taking courses at Harvard Extension School as a distance student and commuter from California, eventually becoming a resident Harvard Extension School degree candidate until he completed his bachelor’s degree with honors.

“How wonderful for Ryan’s film to be selected by the Sundance Festival,” says Suzanne Spreadbury, associate dean and director of undergraduate degree programs. “He showed great promise here at Harvard Extension School, in particular when he wrote, produced, and directed for one of his courses At Ease, a stirring film about the military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy. Ryan worked incredibly hard at Harvard Extension and took advantage of every possible resource. All that effort is paying off! We are very proud to have him among our graduates.”

Follow the film on Twitter: @playtimefilm. To learn more about the film project, including comments from the writer and producer, visit KICKSTARTER.