Newest LMC 'Future Filmmaker' Has Entered The Scene

MAMARONECK, NY — Mamaroneck High School senior Sara Ettinger is handing off the reins following a triumphant residency at LMC.

Fellow Mamaroneck High School student Bella Pianko has been hired as the resident student filmmaker and even though Ettinger proved a tough act to follow, she is working hard to shine in new ways.

"Fostering a love of storytelling in the next generation is crucial to fulfilling our mission of connecting the community through media," LMC Executive Director Matt Sullivan said. "I’m thrilled that we can provide the resources and platform for students to hone and share their craft with the world. We hope to find additional funding to support and grow this program so we can continue to bring this opportunity to as many students as possible."

Each semester, a local high school student is chosen to serve as LMC’s resident student filmmaker, and any interested student can apply.

Students are hired by LMC and given access to a full suite of filmmaking equipment. Students can create, film and edit on their own schedule during their residency, which makes this opportunity more accessible to today’s busy students. In addition to equipment, LMC also provides pre-production, production and post-production guidance from professional filmmaking staff, as well as a budget, actors and filming schedule with deadlines.

Organizers say the program is one-0f-a-kind — there are no other programs in the Sound Shore area that provide a direct pipeline from high school filmmaking programs to a paid, professional experience like the Future Filmmaker residency. Students complete three short films during their residency and receive stipends for each. This program not only provides a professional framework for students to gain real world experience, it also gives voice to the teen experience and brings their vision of the community into the spotlight.

Inaugural Future Filmmaker for the Winter Semester 2023, Sara Ettinger is an aspiring filmmaker who is involved in the Mamaroneck High School video program with Elena Elmoznino, and attributes her interest in pursuing film to her school program.

"Having this specialized space specifically dedicated to filmmaking, movies, and everything really makes a difference," Ettinger explained. "You’re able to make these connections with people you wouldn’t have met otherwise, hear opinions you never even thought of, or movies you never even heard of. I think that’s part of why having a video program in school is so important: it’s just shaped me into the filmmaker that I am today."

It was exactly this kind of passion that led to Ettinger being named as the first local student to participate with LMC as a Future Filmmaker. She has been accepted to NYU to study film this fall.

You can see her powerful short films for LMC here.

The Spring Semester 2023 Future Filmmaker, Bella Pianko, will release her first film in the coming days.

"We are incredibly excited to welcome Bella to the LMC team as our next student filmmaker," Dena Schumacher, creator of the program, and Assistant Director at LMC said. "Working with Sara Ettinger, our first student filmmaker, was such a fulfilling experience for our team and our viewers. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback about the program from Sara and from the community, and we’re excited to develop and grow this program with Bella."

Pianko is a sophomore at Mamaroneck High School and participates in the filmmaking program also under the guidance of Elmoznino.

"I’m so excited to be able to participate in the Future Filmmaker program," she said of her upcoming LMC residency. "I think it’s a really great opportunity for me to show my passion to the community and I’m really excited to get started."

After Ettinger's stirring works were brought to fruition through the Future Filmmakers program, excitement is building to what Pianko and those who follow after have in store. But, the program and the budding filmmakers who benefit depend on community support to continue this groundbreaking program.

If you are interested in supporting the program, please reach out to Francile Albright, Director of Development, at this email address.

You can learn more and apply for the program here.

Larchmont-Mamaroneck Community Television (LMC Media) was founded in 1983 as a non-profit organization under section 501 (C) (3) of the United States Internal Revenue Act. LMC Media’s mission is to connect, create, and inform the community through the use of digital media. In today’s fast-paced, hyper-connected world, the ability to successfully communicate, create and connect across a range of platforms is a crucial skill set. As a center for teaching and learning, as a highly accessible source of local news and information, as a channel for communication and commentary about the issues that matter most to our community, LMC Media is an invaluable community asset.