When College sophomore Pierce Cravens tore his ACL last year, he never expected that the injury would result in his acceptance to the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
But Cravens, who used to play on Penn's squash team, used his time spent off the court to co-produce the film Pitch -- The Movie, which will screen at the acclaimed French festival in May.
The film will show in the Short Film Corner, an section of the festival that features films that are not entered for awards.
The 20-minute comedy trails two fictional New York University students who pitch their film idea to a major studio. Cravens said the humor used is similar to that of the popular television series Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
And though the film shows two students breaking into the film industry, life in the limelight is nothing new to Cravens, who has appeared in several Broadway and television shows.
Even with such credits behind him, Cravens says there is still more he wants to do. He said he hopes that Cannes will serve as a springboard for Pitch to become either a television series or a full-length film.
To produce the film, Cravens partnered with Columbia undergraduate Jason Fuchs, whom he met in New York City through acting.
Fuchs, who has been acting since the age of seven, said Pitch was initially a television idea that stemmed from several writing projects he has worked on over the past year.
He added that Pitch will stand out because the producers are so young.
Fuchs said that, though he has primarily acted during his film career so far, he has "always had an inkling to be behind the camera."
The pair filmed Pitch in New York City this past January. The film stars professional actors Dylan Baker, John Shea, Zak Orth and Fuchs himself.
And Fuchs said that, though the film has not won any awards yet, "my mom loves it."
Students who have seen the film have similar sentiments.
"I thought it was really good. It was very funny, and it reminded me of a combination of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage," said College sophomore Jordan Sanders.
Of Fuchs, Sanders said "he's like a young Woody Allen -- really quirky, and his humor is kind of on he same page."
Pitch screened at the Tribeca Grand film festival in New York, where Fuchs said the film "got some laughs." The screening also prompted actress Rosario Dawson to show Pitch at a benefit function.
The film also screened at the Bridge: Cinema de Lux at 40th and Walnut streets yesterday and will also screen at the New Jersey International Film Festival, on May 23, and the New York Film Festival, on May 30.
The Cannes Film Festival will run from May 17 to May 28 in Cannes, France. Fifty-five films from 30 countries are contending for the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize.
