Forman School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school for boarding and day students with identified learning differences. Forman develops the whole student, based on each individual’s learning profile, so that all graduates become educated, confident self-advocates throughout life.
Student Spotlight
Student Documentary Screened During All-American High School Film Festival
November 1, 2023
Charlie Murphy ’24 made a documentary that earned a spot in the 2023 All-American High School Film Festival. Charlie’s 13-minute film titled "Cheeseburgers and Py" was screened during the festival in October at the AMC Empire 25 Theaters in Times Square in New York City.
“‘Cheeseburgers and Py’ is a documentary about a man on Fishers Island named Py who is a local on the island and likes to give away cheeseburgers during the summer,” says Charlie. “I was very intrigued that there was a person who just liked to give away cheeseburgers for free to his community. I wanted to dive in and explore a little bit more about who this person was and see if there was more about him than just giving away cheeseburgers and if there were any other layers to him as a character, as a person.”
Charlie’s family spends the summers on Fisher’s Island, and one summer working at Topper’s Ice Cream, he and his coworkers were hungry after working a long shift.
“We hadn’t eaten anything all day, and then out of the blue, this guy comes in like an angel saving us,” Charlie says. “He comes in with a cooler full of cheeseburgers, and he handed them out to us. It was one of the best cheeseburgers I've ever eaten. From that day, I knew I wanted to make something about him.”
Charlie Murphy's film is titled "Cheeseburgers and Py."
Charlie filmed Py with an iPhone, a gimbal, and the help of his twin brother, Peter. The end result is a style called cinéma vérité, which translates to truthful cinema. Charlie says he wanted to capture a story that unfolds in front of viewers, and despite some challenges along the way, he is proud of his work.
“I'm very happy that this was able to be shown at such a prestigious festival, and I'm glad as well that it was able to be shown in front of people in general,” he says. “I'm also glad I was able to show that people like Py exist, and people can be like Py … One of the main themes of this documentary is kindness and being kind towards others.”
Charlie is grateful to Py for allowing him to create the documentary, adding, “He's also very proud. He's very happy that this was made for him.”
With goals of continuing to tell stories through film, Charlie is applying to attend film school after graduating from Forman.
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