Saint David's Alum Wins Big in Spain

Saint David's alum Tommy Robertshaw '10 wins big in Madrid, Spain and his film screens today. See release below:

MADRID FILM FESTIVAL WINNER THE LEFT BEHIND HEADLINES MIDDLEBURY NEW FILMMAKERS FESTIVAL

Millenials’ narrative film explores sexuality, depression at New England boarding school

Middlebury, VT – August 26, 2016 – The Left Behind, written by then-high school senior Tom Robertshaw and directed by Oliver Salk, will premiere at the 2016 Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival, a highly competitive film festival dedicated to rising talent in North America, this Saturday, August 27^that 10:30 AM.

The Left Behind won best cinematography in a feature film during July’s Madrid International Film Festival, beating out 7 other films. Sam Wolff was the film’s director of photography. Wolff graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in May. Salk is a student at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, which ranked 3^rd best in the nation this year.

Middlebury College student Sebastian LaPointe stars in The Left Behind alongside Vienna Kaylan, Tennant Maxey and Carey Cannata.

“I could not be more proud of the entire team, who brought an unrivaled vision and brilliance to this project,” Salk said. “We are so honored to be featured among the top up-and-coming filmmakers in the nation.”

Set on the sprawling campus of a prestigious New England boarding school, “The Left Behind” closely follows the lives of John, Ismene, and Charlie as they fight to understand and reconcile the sudden and mysterious death of their best friend Finn. The 78-minute feature delves into Finn’s depression as a 17-year-old writer struggling with his sexuality and the allure of greatness. Robertshaw adapted the story from his play, “In the Land of Beulah,” which premiered at the Taft School in May of 2014.

Oliver Salk is the director of two feature films: The Left Behind and Higher Education. Raised in Connecticut, Salk attended The Taft School in Watertown, CT before enrolling at The University of Southern California to study film. His first feature film Higher Education was produced while he was enrolled at Taft, utilizing the campus and facilities for production. Salk also wrote and directed the short film Get out of the House in 2014.

Tom Robertshaw has been writing screenplays since he was 16. His first feature film, Higher Education, was the beginning of his creative partnership with Salk. Robertshaw is a lifelong New York City resident and sophomore at Williams College.

For more information and trailer, please visit: http://middfilmfest.org/portfolio/the-left-behind/

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