From Penn State Berks
Photo courtesy of Penn State
Filmmaker Pearl Gluck, 2025-26 Penn State Laureate and associate professor in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, will speak at Penn State Berks at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 23, in the Perkins Student Center Multipurpose Room. Gluck’s presentation is part of an effort to inspire regional storytelling, foster connections across campuses and local communities, and create pathways for artistic engagement. This presentation is free and open to the public.
Through her work with Palinka Pictures, Gluck has explored themes of gender, class, faith, and autobiographical storytelling. Her films have earned numerous honors, including three Fulbright grants, a Sundance Producer’s Lab fellowship, and support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Her feature film “The Turn Out” (2018), which blends documentary and fiction to address domestic sex trafficking, won several awards, including Best Debut Feature at the Female Eye Film Festival.
Gluck’s other notable works include “Castles in the Sky” (2024), “Write Me” (2020), “Summer” (2018), “Junior” (2016), “Where Is Joel Baum” (2012), and “Divan” (2004), her debut documentary film that opened theatrically at New York’s Film Forum and premiered on the Sundance Channel. Her films have screened at festivals such as Cannes and Sundance and have been featured by NPR, PBS, and other major outlets.
Gluck has made a significant impact on the arts community through the Centre Film Festival, which she co-founded in 2019. Hosted across historic theatres in Philipsburg, State College, and Altoona, the festival showcases multigenerational storytelling and regional voices, providing masterclasses and hands-on workshops with visiting filmmakers. Now entering its seventh season, the festival was recently named “Best Festival / Event of the Year” by the Happy Valley Tourism Board. As Penn State Laureate, Gluck will expand the Centre Film Festival’s programming across the University’s Commonwealth Campuses.
An annual faculty honor established in 2008, the Penn State Laureate is a full-time faculty member in the arts or humanities who is assigned half-time for one academic year to bring greater visibility to the arts, humanities, and the University, as well as to their own work. In this role, the laureate is a highly visible representative of the University, appearing at events and speaking engagements throughout the commonwealth.
For more information, contact Jeanne Marie Rose at jmrose@psu.edu or 610-396-6213.
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