Charlotte Glynn ’02
Named one of the “25 New Faces in Independent Film” by Filmmaker Magazine, Charlotte Glynn’s distinct voice and unique vision have been widely praised in her internationally acclaimed documentary and fiction films. Her first feature-length documentary RACHEL IS –about the difficulty of placing her developmentally disabled younger sister in an appropriate assisted living facility – had its broadcast premiere on PBS America reFramed and has screened internationally, including at the True/False Film Festival.
A graduate of Columbia University’s MFA film program in 2013, Glynn’s short narrative film THE IMMACULATE RECEPTION, swept the Columbia University Film Festival, winning best film, best director and the Adrienne Shelly prize for emerging female director. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was a Vimeo Staff Pick, won the Hammer to Nail Short Film Contest, and the Special Jury Award at the New Orleans Film Festival, among others. Glynn has been awarded residencies at Yaddo and the Berlin Talent Campus, as well as a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship.
In addition to her filmmaking, Glynn has co-authored the children’s book Gina from Siberia with her mother, Jane Bernstein.
Recalling her time as a student at Purchase, Glynn says, “There’s a folklore about Purchase. I developed here as an artist. The film conservatory with 16 students for four years was a place where friendships and relationships developed, and we were delving into deeper relationships because of that intensity. You’re family. One of my classmates, Eddie Martinez also now teaches at Purchase.”
There were several professors who were very significant to Glynn at Purchase. Glynn recalls: “My documentary teacher Jackie Ochs and Greg Taylor who taught my cinema studies classes were incredibly influential. Jackie introduced me to nonfiction film. Greg Taylor introduced us to everything, including transcendental style in cinema and experimental films. It was an incredible education watching and analyzing all different types of film. I’m showing Wavelength in my class because of Greg Taylor.”
In addition to filmmaking and film-related courses, Glynn added, “I took a political science course every year; it was amazing to learn about the world. Professor Peter Schwab was very influential.”
In 2018, Glynn was invited to the Sundance Catalyst program. She is currently developing her first fiction narrative feature THE GYMNAST, which recently participated in IFP week’s Project Forum, U.S & French Connection, and the Los Cabos Film Festival works in progress. Glynn has been developing the project over the last couple of years, and says, “It’s a story I have to tell. I believe in the world I created and its meaning.”
—Written by Susan Kouguell, Lecturer in Screenwriting