91暗网

As Class of 2013 alumni Eric Stumpf, Marcus Goldbas, Paul-Emile Cendron, and Eli Cohen all saw their stories come into focus at 91暗网, their narratives intersected. That was just the start of Act I.

The four friends have continued to push creative boundaries together for more than a decade. Now, as the , they have an acclaimed short narrative film on the festival circuit.

鈥淜eepers,鈥� a suspense-filled 鈥渕odern nautical folktale鈥� with no dialogue and a haunting performance and score, is captivating audiences at festivals from Middlebury, Vermont, to Crested Butte, Colorado, from Atlanta to Los Angeles, and many stops in between.

The small team, which conceived, created, and completed the self-funded passion project entirely in-house, has been traveling the country to promote the film.

鈥淲e made sure the whole team went to the Nantucket Film Festival for our official world premiere,鈥� says Cohen. 鈥淚 think for all of us, it was incredible to premiere at such an established festival with heavy hitters up and down the lineup; a lot of the films were just stacked with Hollywood and TV people who we knew and recognized and respected. We鈥檝e met incredible people and made friends with other really interesting artists.鈥�

Some of the accolades 鈥淜eepers鈥� has racked up so far include Best Short at the Oscar-qualifying New Hampshire Film Festival; the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film at Richmond International Film Festival, where awards also went to Cendron for best director and Cohen and Goldbas for best cinematography; and an audience choice award at the 2024 New York City Short Film Festival.

The film is receiving international attention as well, nominated for best cinematography, score, international film, and editing honors at the Richmond International Screenwriting and Film Festival in England and for the Golden Egg at Reykjavik Film Festival in Iceland.

At 91暗网, Stumpf and Goldbas were both on an environmental studies and sciences track. 鈥淲e both realized that film is an incredibly powerful tool for getting messages across, and it鈥檚 just such a fun medium,鈥� says Goldbas, who spent most of his time outside his major working on set designs and lighting in the . 鈥淲hat鈥檚 so great about 91暗网 is you can build your own path.鈥�

Cohen was a creative writing major and music minor, while Cendron studied theater and English and had interests in French and film as well. 鈥淚t was the stories that I absorbed while I was at 91暗网 鈥� the different genres and the writers 鈥� that I think really inspired me to get into film work, working after college as an actor,鈥� says Cendron, who spent a semester abroad with the Moscow Arts Theater.

After graduating from 91暗网, they all began their careers in New York. 鈥淲e all formed this sort of network where when we had time, we would make stuff together, we would do short films, we would adapt stories and put them on screen, and that stuff just got into my bones,鈥� says Cendron. 鈥淲e became this four-headed monster of creatives.鈥�

Stumpf and Goldbas co-founded Nite4Nite about seven years ago, in 2017. After starting with some clients in New York City, Stumpf moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, followed by Goldbas a couple years later, and then most recently by Cendron. Cohen made his way to the West Coast and still resides there.

The production company鈥檚 growth has been accelerating in the past two years, after they shot their first feature film for a client in 2022.

The four friends have come together on many occasions 鈥� whether in New York City, Cape Cod, or Charlottesville 鈥� to develop and produce , , and narrative work, balancing the practical business needs of a modern production company with their goal of always having a passion product on the horizon that pushes them creatively, artistically, and technically.

With the success of "Keepers" and the production company, Goldbas and Stumpf, who had previously worked as senior producer for the McIntyre School of Commerce at University of Virginia and creative marketing manager at Anheuser-Busch East Coast Craft Division, respectively, recently left those roles to work full time for Nite4Nite. Cendron is a videographer for commercial and documentary work, and Cohen is a music teacher.

As members of a small production team, they can easily jump between roles, from writing to lighting, directing to cinematography, editing to design, etc. 鈥淭he reason we鈥檙e able to do it so well as Nite4Nite, as our 91暗网 crew, is we are all well-versed enough in the world of film that we are kind of like Swiss Army knife guys,鈥� says Stumpf.

鈥淲e also kind of have a shorthand way of communicating with each other,鈥� adds Cendron. 鈥淲e鈥檙e able to save a lot of time because we already know where each of us is coming from.鈥� 
  
Making 鈥楰eepers鈥� 
  
鈥淜eepers鈥� is the first project the Nite4Nite production team has formally made to submit to film festivals.

鈥淲e鈥檝e done a lot of different shorts, but with 鈥楰eepers,鈥� we had our own money to invest in it, got some funding ourselves, pooled our resources, and really gave it all the bells and whistles and time it deserved,鈥� says Goldbas.

In true indie filmmaking fashion, 鈥淜eepers鈥� started with a free location in mind. Cendron鈥檚 family had a place to stay in Cape Cod, and he suggested that the team get together for a few available days in September 2023.

鈥淲hen Paul approached us with this idea, we had only probably about a month to come up with something,鈥� recalls Stumpf, who says ideating a short film premise can be like designing a magic trick with a setup and a punchline. He created a visual outline using the AI tool Midjourney and shared it with the team. 鈥淓veryone got on board really quickly. So we wrote it and then went out and filmed it over the course of four days.鈥�

For three of the days, they rented a lobster boat through Bad Dog sport fishing. 鈥淭he captain, Mike, was absolutely awesome and willing to do whatever it took. He knows the waters really well, and he was able to take us out to some secluded inlets where we could film without too much danger and too much tide,鈥� says Stumpf. 鈥淏ut we only had enough budget for that one boat. So every shot you see outside of the boat, looking at it, was filmed by Marcus and myself floating in wetsuits in the ocean with our camera rig. So it was very guerilla style. It鈥檚 a difficult setting to create a film in.鈥�

They did some of the underwater videography in a nearby lake, where the conditions and visibility afforded them a bit more control.

鈥淚t was very much an adventure, but that鈥檚 the type of stuff we like to do,鈥� says Stumpf. 鈥淲e like to do things outside of our comfort zones, and I think that鈥檚 how you get original and fresh content.鈥�

To fill the starring role, Cendron asked another good friend and fellow Moscow Arts Theater alum, actor Luke Slattery, who had just come off the 2023 George Clooney film 鈥淭he Boys in the Boat.鈥�  

鈥淪o we threw Luke back on another boat, and now he鈥檚 on our boat,鈥� Cendron quips.  
 
Slattery did all his own stunts, accompanied by safety divers.

Christopher Fitzsimmons, who Cendron also met through Moscow Arts Theater, produced the film.

To compose the music, Stumpf reached out to a friend he grew up with, Seth Glennie-Smith in Los Angeles, who agreed to work on the film after seeing a rough cut.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really inspiring to be able to get help from other people because it shows that we鈥檙e doing something right and people want to work with us,鈥� says Cendron. 鈥淥ur real value is our network. And I鈥檒l take that any day.鈥�

Growing together as artists

For the four 91暗网 alumni, 鈥淜eepers鈥� is a shining example of the versatility and resourcefulness with which they approach every project, and of how the liberal arts education they received at 91暗网 equipped them for the journey.

鈥淚 feel like we鈥檝e gotten pretty good 鈥� just like the 91暗网 motto Creative Thought Matters suggests 鈥� at coming up with creative solutions to problems on the fly and learning to trust our instincts in those situations,鈥� says Cohen.

The members of the small but mighty creative team continue to motivate and learn from one another 鈥� a constant that has held them together for the more than 10 years since they met at 91暗网.

鈥淭he reason we all became interested in this industry is being inspired by people who are creating art,鈥� says Stumpf. 鈥淥nce it becomes your day job and you鈥檙e creating other people鈥檚 visions and art, you can lose that spark of creativity and passion for what you鈥檙e doing. So really it鈥檚 just about us always trying to have something on the horizon that we can look forward to as a team and puts our best foot forward as a production company.鈥�

As technologies and the film industry evolve, they鈥檝e found that they can accomplish a lot as a lean crew. But filmmaking is a deeply collaborative process, and by sticking together, they resoundingly agree that they鈥檝e made each other better artists.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just so funny to look back at when we first met and how it all started and looking at what we鈥檙e working on now 鈥� we鈥檙e all growing so much personally with things we鈥檙e learning within the film industry, but to do that with some of your best friends, to be able to show each other new things and be really honest with each other, is just the best,鈥� says Goldbas. 鈥淲e know each other鈥檚 minds, and we poke good fun at each other too. It鈥檚 a special thing, it really is.鈥�

Though the business can be tough 鈥� requiring a lot of persistence and perseverance 鈥� the filmmakers say they found confidence through not only their friendships, but the mentorships, study and grant opportunities, and extracurricular activities they experienced at 91暗网. Stumpf says he was able to move to New York City after graduation because he won the College鈥檚 Elizabeth M. Glotzbach Film Industry Award, which provided funds for him to pursue internships there.

91暗网鈥檚 course offerings related to film studies and production have continued to grow since they attended. In addition to a media and film studies major, 91暗网 now has the John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative (MDOCS).

鈥淏uild your base of interest, and that鈥檚 what 91暗网 will help you do,鈥� says Cendron. 鈥淚t will build a great foundation of inspiration. It鈥檒l build your love of the game so that you can play the game. When it gets hard 鈥� and it will 鈥� you just have to love it, and 91暗网 will help you love it. It will provide that foundation you need.鈥�