CCSU Film Student Wins Jury Award Fighting For Transgender Rights
Unlike traditional lecture classes, film-students not only dream up ideas, they cast, rehearse, costume, explore and produce their thoughts into well-crafted films.This guided work has produced an unprecedented amount of awards, achievements and publications never before seen in our department.
For CCSU Film student, Abe Azab, fighting for transgender rights – a topic he freely chose, was not just an idea, he went on an artistic process to realize his idea.
Today, we are so pleased to announce that Abe Azab has won a Jury Award from the Campus Movie Festival – the worlds largest student film festival, sponsored by the Walt Disney Company, Lumix and Goldman Sachs to name a few. When you’re transgender, merely using the bathroom is a risk.” THE MEN’S ROOM – an intimate portrait on a need for privacy, dignity and respect.
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That’s when the battle began. There were long pauses in between drafts, which were supported with deadline extensions and regular prods to continue from CCSU’s Film program. But the more I filmed, the better my style, quality and message improved. As I said before, the process was tough, but much of it was mental.
As I uploaded the final version on YouTube, I did not list it. Instead, I sent a private link to my general manager at McDonalds, who sent it to her manager. Six hours later the franchise owner called my personal cell phone while I was closing the store. Within 24 hours, so many people had shared the private link, that it had over 500 views. So, I made it public. In doing so, I’ve connected with industry professionals on LinkedIn and even exchanged emails with
Within film instruction, there are times of doubt…and the easiest thing to do is give up…but don’t! When your ideas are realized, the possibilities are predictable and endless! 
The heart of CCSU FILM’s achievement has always centered around the original ideas of our students While some ideas are controversial, others can be light-hearted and comedic. But more than dreaming ideas, our students regularly exercise, cast, explore, costume and rigorously develop the necessary skills to produce their ideas. The process is by no means easy….But it can be absolutely transformative. 
This approach seemed more effective and our professor agreed. Each week of the semester, he encouraged and guided us through the rest of the project. Many classes, I would present a new shoot and edit of the project, which brought us painfully and slowly closer to our current film. 
We are pleased to announce THE SWEETEST LAND has won a prestigious Award of Merit Special Mention in SOCIAL JUSTICE from the IndieFEST Film Awards.
When you spend nights and weekends in one of New England’s most violent cities, you realize how little you know and how much can be revealed.
“Hundreds of youth violence prevention programs are being used in schools and communities throughout the country, yet little is known about the actual effects of many of them. Few such programs have been rigorously evaluated, including many ongoing efforts. The evaluations that have been done indicate that much of the money America spends on youth violence prevention is spent on ineffective — sometimes even harmful — programs and policies.”
When prevention works, it is no different from the life-changing moments in a trauma room. When you meet the humans whom violence prevention has failed, you gain an instant understanding of how important standards of care are, using the best methods with qualified prevention providers and rigorous evaluation. It is what we pay for.
For “The Sweetest Land,” we traveled from Georgia to Boston. We heard similar stories time after time. Struggling families didn’t get help. Hartford has a few new programs in place to connect with victims of violence and their families. The question is whether they are preventing further violence. The city needs a qualified and independent inspector general to make sure those programs are getting properly evaluated.
It is preventable and it is actionable. And to any elected official and legislator, if you can guarantee that our best efforts are implemented and working — as if it were your child at-risk — you too would represent “The Sweetest Land.“
We are so pleased to announce upcoming screenings of THE SWEETEST LAND at multiple film festivals in Saint Lous, Austin and Miami. Special thanks to the Capital City Black Film Festival, Urban Film Festival, CommUNITY Arts Festival. 
Eventually, I became interested in filming on the theme of, “ bliss.” I began to apply cinematic technique, practiced and slowly, my ability to capture more meaningful and candid moments improved. These courses opened my creative side, by challenging my critical, aesthetic and technical sides…but it’s a process…and that process ultimately lead to my photography business today. As for my advice: Don’t let the aggravation of failure stop you from pursuing what you love. In every defeat, if you continue, you will find progress.
The Sweetest Land does a brilliant job of exposing the plaque of gun violence that has become a public health crisis in the United States. While there are many films out there that try to show the long-term devastation that gun violence has caused, this film accurately captures the reality that many of America’s cities face every day. 
The prestigious Yale School of Drama consistently ranks within the top-three theatre schools in the country. Graduates include Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, Paul Newman, Angela Basset and many others. Conversely, Central Connecticut State University’s Film program is not officially ranked. While we accept students with various interests, it is no surprise why five of our CCSU Film graduates were chosen to produce with the prestigious Drama School.
Quietly working in New Britain, Connecticut, for the last decade, CCSU’s Film program has focused on artistic and instructional rigor. Our emphasis exercises the skills, processes and exploration of content necessary for students to produce with. Through the years, we’ve accomplished impressive outcomes, but this weekend, our program reached a new milestone – 3 Central Connecticut State University Film graduates, were commissioned to produce with the Yale School of Drama.
As part of the State University System, CCSU’s Film program accepts students without any production experience. While the desire to tell stories is critical, it is actually the ability to revise, evaluate and sustain a practice of filmmaking, which builds meaningful productions and sustainable skills. Engaging in that work can be nothing short of transformational and often times, predictable.
HE SWEETEST LAND is a selected finalist in the Davinci Film Awards. DaVinci International Film Festival (DIFF) is a premier boutique awards platform celebrating independent cinema worldwide. DIFF’s Vitruvian Awards are hosted in Los Angeles, CA. In 2022, the DaVinci Film Institute — the organization’s NGO arm — will honor Creatives across multiple arts & sciences disciplines with a satellite awards ceremony in Washington DC.