Kingston: A Feature Film Made by Columbia University Film Students

The Tribeca Film Festival recently held the world premiere of Kingston, a feature film made by Columbia University students, competing in the U.S. Narrative Competition. The feature was filmed around the Columbia University campus but depicts the fictional Ivy League school, Kingston College, in which three intertwining stories about young love, uncertainty, and transnational experiences come together.

The film was co-written and produced by Jenna Shen (who was previously interviewed in Frontrunner for her group CU Girls Who Film). Shen, along with Columbia colleagues Carlos Key (writer-director), Kalijah Rowe (writer-director), and Claire Levesque, brings these stories to life with authentic perspectives. Over 100 students and professors helped with the project and brought it to the big screen, which has now wowed Tribeca audiences who share in the experience. Shen and Key sat down with Frontrunner for an interview to discuss the film, its development, and the Tribeca experience.

This trifecta of stories covers a wide range of experiences: confused young love, making sense of oneself in a prestigious college community, and navigating transnational experiences in an increasingly restrictive world. Did those three layers emerge naturally during writing, and why were those specific perspectives important for understanding your generation?

Carlos: It arose naturally in the writing process and my time as an undergrad. It’s the Gen-Z experience on various scales: romantic, coming-of-age, and transnational. This is how interpersonal connections are being transformed by dating apps and algorithms. Then there’s how we see our identity as adults competing in the workforce, and how AI has transformed this. Finally, the Chinese professor is trying to get the best out of a resistant student, which speaks to our globalized world and the resistance to it.

One of the film’s arguments seems to be that today’s students are inheriting uncertainty rather than opportunity. Was there a particular moment when that realization became central to the story?

Carlos: That was a central feeling to all three. For me, it’s a central feeling among Gen-Z. Competition is a big thing this generation feels across all areas: relationships, school, work, etc. Romance, friendships, knowledge, and jobs all have a sense of competition, especially with social media making us compare ourselves to others.

Jenna: I feel like we are always trying to capture a feeling of being present in the world at a given moment, and the ending captures that. There are mixed feelings of nostalgia, uncertainty, competition, and work ethics that are apparent in us at all times.

You write that viewers often say, “I’ve seen that,” “I’ve lived that,” and “I’ve felt that.” Was there difficulty in translating personal experiences into a narrative without it becoming too much of a personal diary?

Carlos: Audiences can definitely feel when it becomes too confessional. One thing that helps is our team. We have four co-writers: Me, Jenna, Kalijah Rowe, and Claire Levesque. Going around, talking to other students, and doing active research bring these stories to life.

Jenna: The team is how everything functions. Many of us come from a Chinese background, so we could bring that into the story development. Also, many aspects that seem like anecdotes or throwaway lines came from conversations we heard on campus. In the initial stage of screenwriting, it began as a shared Google Doc where people shared their thoughts about what was happening on campus.

Since you’re portraying your own generation, what do you hope older audiences misunderstand less after seeing the film?

Jenna: Some things never change. We showed it to older audiences, and they said many scenes, even the dating app moments, were relatable across generations. People always seem to ask their friends questions or seek advice, which often turns into gossipy judgment.

Carlos: We wanted to capture the feeling of so much happening in the world, but moreover, the complex feeling of coming of age. It felt like audiences felt how we feel right now.

The production is described as “utterly guerrilla.” What was the most challenging or unexpected aspect of filming throughout campus and New York City?

Jenna: So much of it was our friends lending us resources. Carlos has a friend who’s a trained helicopter pilot, and we were able to use that for certain shots. As for on campus, many challenges were about availability and continuity. We used 30-40 extras for a scene, but it was during finals, so many bailed, and others could only be there briefly. As such, there were challenges in lighting, continuity, blocking the actors to hide these issues, and many different takes.

Carlos: There was much uncertainty but not so much unexpectedness. We had good access to students and instructors who could provide us with good resources. Through the community along the way, everything fell into place. Professors helped us out a lot, too.

What was it like screening a film about student life for the Tribeca audience, and were they far removed from that experience?

Carlos: The audience reception was so flattering. Lots of new people came up to us afterward and said it felt like a documentary of their senior year in college. Many of whom came from different schools. We received many online reviews from critics and Letterbox, and they were highly receptive, but a couple of reviews seemed like it didn’t land for them. There’s some generational divide, but that’s to be expected; moving between plotlines and challenges comes with a risk of differing tastes.

Jenna: They were incredibly supportive. People applauded us until the end of the credits, which was overwhelming. Having this response at Tribeca meant a lot because this is a heavily New York story, and Tribeca encapsulates that to a tee. The story, being personal and universal, resonated with all these different audience members from different backgrounds and experiences.

Has the response to the film changed the way you think about the story you set out to tell?

Carlos: Much of the film is about being misunderstood. For me, the number one fear we had was that what we were trying to capture could be misconstrued. Did that line of dialogue resonate? Did this point get across? Are the performances hitting people the right way? That’s always part of the fear, and that kind of anxiety around being misunderstood is relevant to the characters in the storyline, too.

Jenna: For me, not so much. Many people understood the references we were making. One review noted that it seemed to rhyme with Succession, which is a major influence. We felt heart-to-heart connections with people who showed us so much gratitude, and that’s the biggest honor.