The 麻豆传媒 Blog
With six wins and three honorable mentions, University of New Haven students were recognized by the Boston/New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for their exceptional storytelling, direction, cinematography, and editing across fiction and nonfiction films.
July 11, 2025
The writing of the film 鈥淪unrise鈥 was deeply personal to Caleb Taylor 鈥25. 鈥淭he initial idea stemmed from me mixing together multiple other stories I had written for this same project,鈥 he explained. 鈥淥nce I had the basic concept down, 鈥淪unrise鈥 became much more.鈥
The short film began to incorporate themes that mattered to him, such as grief, addiction, and mental health. 鈥溾楽unrise鈥 isn鈥檛 necessarily about my life,鈥 he said, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 definitely a good way of expressing the way I鈥檝e felt about grief and mental health.鈥
This approach paid off. 鈥淪unrise鈥 was recognized by the Boston/New England chapter of the , with five student production awards, including Director, Editor, Cinematography, Fiction Film-Long Form, and Audio/Sound. It also took home the Cinematic Excellence Award at the 2025 Digital Media CT Awards. A team of 麻豆传媒s also won in the music video category for 鈥淎yminor- Back Where we Belong.鈥
Behind the accolades were long nights, challenges on set, and a firm determination to tell the story. 鈥淲ith a crew of only 11 people and a whole lot to get done in pre and postproduction,鈥 Caleb shared, 鈥淚 ended up spending a lot of long days and late nights doing extra work on 鈥楽unrise,鈥 and at times it felt pointless. But I kept pushing through.
鈥淭he awards we鈥檝e won are all recognition that we worked hard and that this is just the start of what we鈥檙e all capable of doing,鈥 he continued.
Caleb credits much of his success to the support and resources he found at the University of New Haven. In particular, he's thankful to the crew鈥檚 鈥渁mazing faculty adviser Paul Falcone, MBA, who taught us everything we needed to even begin the project,鈥 Caleb said. 鈥淗e was a major guiding voice helping things run much more smoothly.鈥
Easy access to professional-grade equipment and shooting locations also played a major role. 鈥淭he school was super helpful,鈥 Caleb said, 鈥減roviding us with equipment and allowing us to use on-campus locations for reshoots.鈥
Still, one of the biggest obstacles was the chaos of filming outside, in public. 鈥淎 lot of people love to be in front of a camera,鈥 he joked, 鈥渁nd that definitely includes people who enjoy going out on Saturday nights.鈥 Despite the distractions, he said, 鈥淭he whole team pulled together and really focused during the shoot.鈥
In the end, it was teamwork that mattered more than just the final product. 鈥溾橲unrise鈥 changed my life,鈥 Caleb reflected. 鈥淚 made so many close friends with my crew, and even outside of the film, and it allowed me to reach out and connect with people I otherwise probably wouldn鈥檛 have.
鈥淚鈥檇 gladly do it again,鈥 he continued, 鈥渒nowing it would lead me to the relationships I have today.鈥
Mackenzie Marquardt 鈥26, writer and director of 鈥淭hrough Her Eyes,鈥 told a different kind of story. Her emotionally charged documentary earned three Student Production Award honorable mentions as well as the Emerging Creator Award at the Digital Media CT Awards.
The subject was close to home: her mother鈥檚 experience living with blindness. 鈥淭he hardest part,鈥 Mackenzie said, 鈥渨as showing my seemingly 'normal' perspective, while also shedding light on my mom鈥檚 life in a way that someone who鈥檚 never experienced it could understand.鈥
At first, she struggled with the vulnerability of sharing such a personal story, but she said, 鈥淯ltimately, I wanted to raise awareness and share my mom's story in an authentic way.鈥
While she didn鈥檛 take home the top prize, the recognition she received was still deeply validating. 鈥淚t acted as a pushing force that reinforced what I already knew: my mom鈥檚 story needed to be shared,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t gave me internal confirmation that what I was doing was meaningful and worth all the effort.
鈥淪he doesn鈥檛 quit, no matter how difficult things get,鈥 Mackenzie continued, speaking about her mom. 鈥淎nd I find that strength more inspiring than anything.鈥
The night of the awards was more than a celebration, it was a moment of realization for many of the students involved.
鈥淢y fellow classmates and I attended the 48th Boston/New England Emmy Awards in Boston, Massachusetts to accept our Student Production Awards,鈥 shared Alexa Maniccia 鈥26, who served as assistant director on the music video for Back Where We Belong, which won in the music video category. 鈥淎ttending the Emmy Awards and standing in front of professionals in my industry who were going to be honored on the same stage as me was such a surreal and amazing experience.鈥
Alexa recalled how powerful it was to be surrounded by industry leaders and Emmy winners, and to realize she was being recognized among them. 鈥淲e were waiting in line to take photos and ended up in front of a group of people who had just won actual Emmys,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hat moment helped it really set in for me.鈥
What stood out most to her, beyond the glitz of the ceremony, was the collective achievement. 鈥淚t was clear we exceeded many of the other schools with the amount of awards, and we were able to win against bigger schools with bigger communication programs,鈥 she said. 鈥淭his opportunity goes to show how talented the students at the University of New Haven are.鈥
Mackenzie also pointed to the mentorship she received from Prof. Falcone as a key to her success.
For Mackenzie, it was Prof. Falcone鈥檚 Film Production I class that opened the door. 鈥淧aul noticed the potential of my documentary before I even did,鈥 she said. 鈥淗e helped it come to life in ways I couldn鈥檛 have imagined.鈥
Caleb echoed that sentiment: 鈥淧aul always said to me that this was my chance to make the story I wanted, and I鈥檇 like to think I took that and ran.鈥
Their advice to future filmmakers is simple but powerful. 鈥淒on鈥檛 make your movies trying to please 100% of the people who watch them,鈥 Caleb said. 鈥淭ry to make a movie that means something to you and that will mean something to others.鈥
Mackenzie agreed. 鈥淪tick to your authentic vision and trust your gut when making anything. Don鈥檛 be afraid to tell a story that matters to you. Your passion will shine through.鈥
The 麻豆传媒 Blog
Angela Mercaldi 鈥25 turned her passion for engineering and drive as a student-athlete into a full-time role at Pratt & Whitney. Her story is one of persistence, mentorship, and finding passion through hands-on experience.
The 麻豆传媒 Blog
A successful networking mixer and national accreditation highlight a semester of progress and community-building for the University of New Haven鈥檚 Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program.
The 麻豆传媒 Blog
With six wins and three honorable mentions, University of New Haven students were recognized by the Boston/New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for their exceptional storytelling, direction, cinematography, and editing across fiction and nonfiction films.