Each year, the Quinnipiac Film Society leads a group of students to Park City, Utah to attend exclusive film screenings and network with industry professionals.

Through this opportunity, students gain a unique perspective of how the concepts they study — including cinematography, communications and media — come to life. From analyzing films to attending Q&A sessions, the Sundance Film Festival gives students an unparalleled experience to further their personal, professional and career aspirations.

"I had the wonderful opportunity to talk about movies and the industry with working professionals and other student film filmmakers," said Quinnipiac Film Society President, Michael Rodda '26. "Sundance is all about independent works and celebrating independent filmmakers so being in an environment with people that want to create was amazing." 

English major and film, television and media arts minor Ryan Ziaks ’25 earned the opportunity to work directly on the press lines, interviewing major stars in the film world. Of these interviews, Ziaks shared a memorable moment interviewing Dave Franco and Alison Brie for the premiere of their film "Together."

“The ability to do interviews on press lines was an unforgettable experience that taught me so much about the film industry and how to conduct professional interviews,” said Ziaks. “Quinnipiac prepared me for this experience by giving me outlets to hone my interviewing skills through the podcast studio we have on-campus and broadcasts like Q30 Television.”

Participation in the Sundance Film Festival serves as an exemplary example of Quinnipiac’s commitment to experiential learning. Associate Professor of Media Studies Kearston Wesner supervised the trip and commented on the uniqueness of this opportunity.

“I can’t tell you how many people I talked with at Park City who asked what I was doing at Sundance and when I told them I was supervising Quinnipiac students, they were just in awe of the fact that these students had the opportunity to attend,” said Wesner. “I know these students and they basically live and breathe film. That passion was heightened at Sundance. The connections that students make during this event are invaluable.”

For students like Samantha Shaw '25, MS '26 this experience was a once in a lifetime opportunity to attend such a world-renowned event. 

"Attending the Sundance Film Festival was a dream come true. Never in a million years did I think I would have had this opportunity in college," said Shaw. "To say that I have been to the premieres of so many incredible films and met industry professionals that I have looked up to for years is unbelievable. Being immersed in this festival is so meaningful because of the passion you can feel all around you."

With a diverse array of academic backgrounds, the students were able to gain key knowledge within their respective interests.

“Anything the students wanted to learn, there was an industry professional there willing to talk about their experience,” said Wesner. “They were excited about offering advice, especially to young professionals. The panels were geared toward a broad array of interests, so students could take advantage of the topics that interested them. Students were able to ask questions about how to prepare to enter their chosen fields and what skills they should develop while they’re in school.”

With this experience under their belts, students return to Quinnipiac feeling inspired and eager to apply the skills that they learned. 

"Just watching the films at the festival gave them a different appreciation for the skills they learned about in their classes," said Wesner. "They were enthused and motivated to get back in their classes and work on their own projects. Some of the attendees are now in their final semester of college and they were very excited about bringing their experiences back to their capstones."