## students film professional documentaries in umaine Machias course 

At the University of Maine at Machias, students in Alan Kryszak’s film class are not just learning how to operate cameras or edit scenes. They’re tackling nearly every aspect of production for documentaries that reach national audiences and tell stories about real people.

Each semester, roughly 10 students form a crew that helps Kryszak with his professional filmmaking. They rotate between directing, running sound, editing and filming on location shoots. The goal, Kryszak said, is to give students both technical expertise and confidence to work collaboratively in a professional setting.

“My film students don’t make practice videos. they’re real, and the students’ work is what makes them happen,” said Kryszak, a film and media lecturer at UMaine Machias. “From the beginning, they’re a working film crew.”

The documentaries Kryszak’s students have worked on have garnered thousands of online views, been aired by more than a dozen PBS stations nationwide and been featured in the Toronto Short Film Festival.They cover a wide variety of topics, including food insecurity, secrets and rural life. 

“Rather of speaking thru my own work, I help people tell stories that have never been heard before.”

‘Serf’s Up’

“Serf’s Up” will premiere on February 22 at the Collins Center for the Arts and on March 8 at the UMaine Machias Performing Arts Center. The documentary, conceived by Alan Kryszak, began as a play on words with “surf’s up” but evolved into an exploration of modern economic hardship. Kryszak aimed to highlight the increasing difficulties faced by individuals in an economy where wages, housing, and opportunities often lag behind the cost of living.

“Every generation struggles,” he said. “But this one’s different. The systems people are born into now make it harder to climb out. I wanted students to see that and to help tell that story themselves.”

For student filmmaker Gonzales, the project sparked a desire to use documentaries to bring attention to overlooked issues.

“Not a lot of people talk about this stuff,” she said. “It made me want to be more involved, knowing that someone would see it and start paying attention.”

Kryszak extends an open invitation for students to continue working on the film’s editing and post-production into the new year, with some returning on weekends to refine the project and prepare for screenings.

“The open invite is always there,” he said. “Come in on Saturday to Torrey Hall and we’ll edit together.”

Kryszak believes this collaborative spirit reflects the unique character of the creative arts program at UMaine Machias. The university prioritizes experiential learning, and the down East Documentary course exemplifies this approach by integrating technical training, community engagement, and storytelling.

“These films don’t just teach students how to make movies,” he said. “They teach them how to listen, how to collaborate and how to use their skills to make a difference.”

Story written by news intern Corey Nicholas

Contact: Marcus Wolf; marcus.wolf@maine.edu