A Brooklyn College film lecturer and creator took home one of the top honors at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
Writer and director Ben Snyder won Best Screenplay in the Narrative Feature category at this year’s film fest for his flick “Allswell,” the college announced last week. The comedy-drama explores the challenges of three Nuyorican sisters as they navigate single parenthood, career life, and family.
“As a filmmaker, I’ve been grappling with the extractive nature of narrative storytelling and exploring how we can democratize the development and ownership of a story,” Snyder said.
“Allswell” was co-written by lead actor Elizabeth Rodriguez, who based the story on some of her real-life experiences. It follows the success of Snyder’s directorial debut, “11:55,” a 2016 film that tells the story of a U.S. marine returning to his hometown, where he then struggles to reconcile his violent past.
“11:55” racked up the Audience Choice Award at the RiverRun International Film Festival and the Audience Favorite Feature award at the Aspen Filmfest.
“11:55, for me, was a look at late-stage capitalism by way of an anti-Western,” Snyder said. “‘Allswell’ is a family dramedy about trauma and redemption. Both films were developed with the cast and inspired by real events from their lives.”
Snyder, a film lecturer at Brooklyn College since 2018, is also involved in a number of Hollywood productions. He has previously served as a writer for the Netflix series “Grand Army” and a producer for the HBO series “Betty.”
“Nobody’s Nobody’s,” Syder’s own digital series starring Andre Holland, is currently in development at Warner Bros. “11:55” is also currently available for streaming on Showtime.
