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Sarah Shana Arlen

Biography

Sarah Arlen, 24, wants to be involved in films as an actor, writer, director, and producer. She achieved a 3.96 GPA and graduated with highest honors from the University of California at Berkeley after majoring in theater and performance studies. Ms. Arlen won awards for outstanding creative talent and dramatic acting, along with a string of scholarships, during her undergraduate years. She worked in the front office for the Berkeley Repertory Theatre on advertising, market research, editing, and writing online publications. Sarah intends to pursue a master of fine arts degree at the Paris International Film School (EICAR) with emphasis on filmmaking and directing.

Even as a small child, Sarah was fascinated by film. Her father showed her all kinds of movies, including some of Woody Allen's work intended for mature audiences that she did not appreciate fully at the time. "My interest and love of film grew and grew because one film links to another that you then watch and then, suddenly, you've studied and enjoyed thousands of films," she recalls. In college, she already was writing screenplays. At the same time, she became fascinated by the theatre and became an actor in professional productions.

Although she was only 14 years old when her father committed suicide, Ms. Arlen never faltered. "Adversity is not something that can stop me," she writes. "I have found that terrible circumstances often lead to great lessons." She said her father's despair over losing his memory and medical skills following a stroke taught her to cultivate multiple talents so the loss of one does not lead to self-destruction.

In her graduate studies in Paris, Ms. Arlen will follow an intensive two-year course including many aspects of filmmaking, such as operating a camera, editing film, and sitting in the director's chair. "This is the perfect program for me because of my desire to create international cinema," she writes. "I want to represent America because I am proud of my country, but also represent the cultures and experiences I find important from all around the world."

Her long-term plans include the creation of non-profit international film production companies, a revolutionary concept that she believes would improve the quality of films and raise their educational content. She also would like to launch repertory theatre companies, continue acting, and write novels. As she says with pride, "I am, indeed, a dreamer."

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