CA Film’s Latest Feature
The most recent feature-length CA film production, a surrealist comedy called The Prototypical, Existentialist, “Mid” Life of Cassie Crowe, had its world premiere at a red-carpet screening in the Performing Arts Center on May 10. As Cassie (Ella Stiles-Hall ’24) returns to high school after a semester-long suspension, she is determined to hide her past transgressions and win the lead in the school play, only to have a wild cast of friends and foes wreak havoc on her plans.
Every other year, students working with film teacher Justin Bull P’25 in the yearlong course The Feature Film Project devote themselves to the craft of movie-making. This year, students studied acting for the camera, developed characters, and collectively conceptualized a story. Bull finalized the script over Thanksgiving break, then the class filmed at Concord Academy and the local Peabody Middle School during the winter athletics season.
Students in the course played all the roles, alongside one professional actor (Victor Ng). Assistant Head for Student Life Grant Hightower P’26, English teacher Andrew Stevens, and Student Life Office assistant Jackie Decareau also made memorable cameos. Students served in key crew positions behind the cameras, and in post-production in the spring the Cutting the Feature class, taught by Ben Stumpf ’88, helped edit the film. This labor of love is now making the rounds for film festival consideration.
