By Erin Furman
At the age of 20, he has already directed his own film-in Paris. Now he is a film studies and production major and psychology minor here at the University.
Born and raised in the Bronx, Jonathon D. Rodriguez has had many opportunities to further his career. He had the opportunity to travel to a foreign country he had never been to before and work with French actors and a French tech crew on a film titled “…et alors, Charlotte,” which is roughly translated into “…and then, Charlotte.”
On Thursday, April 3, 2008, his film premiered at the CNN/Time Warner studios in Manhattan. It will be shown on the Independent Film Channel (IFC) in mid-May, wrapping up a one-year process that began last spring when Melissa Murray, the film writer, chose Rodriguez to be the director.
Murray was Rodriguez’s classmate at New Explorers High School for Film and Humanities and the Ghetto Film School in the Bronx, a program in which both of them participated during high school.
“It was a challenge,” said Rodriguez. “I wanted to see if I could handle the responsibilities assumed by a director.”
And the result? He gained “the expertise of working in a country [he had] never been before.” He also describes himself as a better person as a result of the experience. More patient, he has learned to seize the moment and enjoy life as it comes.
Rodriguez plans to pursue directing after graduation. It’s a great feeling, like he is “the commander of the ship.”