SU alum to host school film festival
Aaron Goldfarb saw ‘Pulp Fiction’ at age 15 and, inspired by its cinematography, decided he didn’t want to do anything else with his life.
‘I was going to get rich or die trying to do it,’ he said.
Goldfarb, a Syracuse University alumnus, is an avid fan of not only the entertainment industry but the writing industry as well. He said he was frustrated with the film and television industry and decided to take a break from it to write novels and short stories.
Goldfarb will come back to SU on May 7, where he has been chosen to a host a film festival with films made by students in a television, radio and film class taught by professor Tula Goenka, according to Goldfarb’s blog. All the films being shown will portray his short stories.
In January, Goldfarb and his manager, 2005 alumnus Craig T. Wood, came to Syracuse to help the 12 students with their projects, discussing their two favorite stories from the collection and offering critiques for their idea pitches, according to Goldfarb’s blog.
Goldfarb said he loves to support Syracuse and is honored to be returning to the area.
‘It’s an honor to come back to the school I attended to get to judge a film festival based on the short stories I wrote,’ Goldfarb said. ‘What a dream come true.’
He intentionally wrote ‘The Cheat Sheet’ as a collection of short stories that would be perfect for adaptation into short films. Goldfarb said he has never revealed this before, but he and Wood have been planning to travel worldwide for ‘The Cheat Sheet’ film festivals, awarding the winners prizes and connections to film industry professionals.
This event at SU is a test for his wider-scale idea, he said.
After Goldfarb became tired of the film industry, he decided to take a break and switch to an art form he could better control. He said it has worked out brilliantly and fell in love with writing novels.
Goldfarb cited past experiences and said he wants everyone to realize the importance of time over common worries, such as finances.
‘You can always earn more money, so you should rarely let it dictate your decisions,’ he said. ‘You have so much free time at college, and if you’re not spending some of it writing screenplays or novels or making films, you’re wasting it.’
He urges all students with a passion for writing or filming in the entertainment industry to attend the festival. Goldfarb said he hopes to speak with many students and field any questions they may have.
‘It’s a great, democratic time to be an artist,’ Goldfarb said. ‘Don’t wait to be picked. Pick yourself.’
Published on May 1, 2011 at 12:00 pm
