Cornell’s Elena Neuman ’88: How a 10-Minute Video Became a Feature Documentary (Plus The Song You Need on a Monday)
Description
We kick off the episode with the upbeat song from Looking Up, because it’s exactly the Monday energy you need. Elena Neuman ’88 joins us to share how a 10-minute video unexpectedly became a full feature documentary—filmed on the face of El Capitan in Yosemite.
Elena reflects on her Cornell experience, the professor who changed her path, and what it really takes to tell a powerful story—from creative pivots during COVID to finding the heart of a film in the edit.
She also shares her work leading the effort to build Cornell’s first standalone Hillel, creating the kind of community she wishes had existed when she was a student.
It’s a conversation about perseverance, curiosity, and forward momentum. And it's clear that Elena is a gifted storyteller, maybe especially when it comes to telling her own!
Her documentary:
https://www.neumanfilm.com/lookingup
Hillel
https://www.cornellhillel.org/
LinkedIn:
Elena Neuman Lefkowitz
Not sponsored by or affiliated with Cornell University
United States
