Gabriela Clarke’s short film 'Human' debuts in Albany Film Festival

Communications student Gabriela Clarke ’22 has been selected to showcase her film “Human” at the 2022 Albany Film Festival, which is presented by the New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany on April 2. Her film was selected to be shown in the experimental category of short films and is a poetic film about living with a disability.

“A poster was shared with students by a faculty member about the festival, and I decided to create an account through FilmFreeway and submit my work. I had to wait a few weeks for the judges to decide. By the 17th of March, I received the email that my film had been selected, and I nearly cried,” Clarke says.

“My left arm was amputated after my birth because my mother’s umbilical cord was wrapped around it, stopping blood flow. The film illustrates what I see others do with two hands every day. Many people don’t think twice about the simple task they can do with two hands. However, I am always thinking of different ways to accomplish a task with one hand. Many people, and even myself at some point, saw me as someone who needed to be fixed. For someone to assume I need to be fixed, they must first assume that I am broken. As I grow to love myself, I realize that God made me perfect in his eyes. I refuse to allow the world to tell me differently.”

The festival will kick off at the University at Albany’s Campus Center multi purpose room, 1400 Washington Avenue in Albany.

We recently caught up with Clarke to discuss what she has taken away from this opportunity.

What prompted you to write about this subject?

I try to focus on mental health issues with most films I’ve made. A few students in my class had made a film about their disabilities, and I got inspired. I usually wouldn’t think to talk about my disability in a movie, but I thought I could try. We were working on our final projects for class, and an option was to create poetic cinematography. I had never done it before, so I wanted to figure out how to get my message across without directly saying it.

Who were the actors? Were they from Saint Rose, too? Did you have a role other than writer/editor?

All the actors are friends and classmates that attend Saint Rose. I would ask, individually, “Can you do something with two hands? It’s for this movie I’m making for class.” I did include myself in the film, but only through shadows and unfocused scenes.

How long did it take you to produce the film, from writing to final editing?

I had about two to three weeks to film, edit, and finalize everything. I had gotten stuck trying to figure out the poem I wanted to recite.

What was your biggest takeaway from this experience?

My biggest takeaway from this experience is to have confidence in yourself. You never know what you might accomplish. Even if you don’t think you could, do it anyway.

Any advice to anyone who the film may resonate with the same way it does for you?

My advice would be don’t let your disabilities stop you from accomplishing your goals. Whether physical or mental, you can achieve your goals as long as you have faith in yourself.

Any future projects/plans with film?

I have many projects that I am working on at the moment. More so just writing scripts than filming. I have so many ideas and stories that I’d like to share through film.

For more information and the detailed schedule of screenings, visit the film festival website.