Sylvia Jessen-Cohen
Amid the pandemic, The Festival Fellows participated in the Babel Film Workshop global stay-at-home filmmaking initiative, Film Stylo. Their films, made as part of the initiative, are featured here and on the Film Stylo international archive of student films documenting their lives during this historical time. Below is Sylvia's Film Stylo project.
Sylvia Jessen-Cohen
Sylvia's pronouns are she/her and she is a sophomore at Wilbur Cross High School. In her free time she loves spending time with friends, hiking, bike riding, and reading. Both nature and being around loved ones inspires her to dig deeper into creativity, both in dance and other art forms. She views her life as a chance to make a difference in the world, which is why she wants to become some type of lawyer, possibly immigration. During her time as an Arts & Ideas Fellow she learned that there are so many components to creating a show that will appeal to all audiences and draw as many people in as possible. Her initial thoughts about this program was that it would give her a greater insight on the behind-the-curtain workings of the arts.
This program definitely did do that, however it also provided a safe space to share ideas and thoughts about the world. It also helped her figure out how to bring arts and community together which was a goal of hers coming into it. She loves the arts because it's a way of communicating stori es and ideas that can be hard to put into words. Her favorite color is lavender and shades of blue. A fun fact about Sylvia is that she went to circus school for a short period of time and learned how to trapeze. She currently loves Harry Styles' album fine line. For extracurricular activities she dances and is part of her schools drumline and drama club. Dance is where her love for the arts was cultivated and it continues to motivate her every day. Sylvia's town hall is about body image because that is something many people in the dance world struggle with.