January 6, 2009 - Janis Vogel completely understands how collaborative the process of filmmaking can be. As s he worked to finish Drop, her short film that was honored by NextGenNYC, an initiative created by the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting and IFP to promote emerging filmmakers graduating from CUNY, countless individuals helped her along the way.

“It was the most generosity I’ve ever experienced in my life,” said Vogel. ”These people put their faith in something that didn’t exist.”

At the age of four, Vogel moved from Heidelberg, Germany, to Martha’s Vineyard. Now a resident of Brooklyn, Vogel earned her M.F.A. in film production at The City College of New York with the completion of Drop in 2008. The film, a fictionalized account of Vogel’s experience meeting her father for the first time, tells the story of two young people who hit the road in an attempt to escape their small island town.

The idea for Drop originally started out as an eight page exercise for class. Vogel then worked on the script for another ten months. With a cast and crew of ten people, shooting took place over the course of fourteen days last summer. Vogel then spent the next six months editing the film together with her editor Anna Shubin. “It’s really satisfying to see the choices [you make] come together in the finished project.”

“Applying for NextGenNYC was a shot in the dark,” she said. As the winning recipient, Vogel also had the opportunity to attend the 18th Annual Gotham Awards, which honors the best in independent films. “It was mind blowing.” She was in awe standing in the same room with  people like Gus Van Zant, a director who has been a huge inspiration to Vogel. “I was really honored to have the experience.”

Looking to the future, Vogel would like to rise in her career in order to one day write and produce films that affect someone, even if it’s just one person. “When Drop was finished,” she recalled, “I wasn't sure if anyone would be affected by it, but people were and that was very gratifying.”