UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — “Class of Her Own,” a Penn State faculty member's critically acclaimed film, is a finalist for best documentary feature at the Hollywood Florida Film Festival and the UrbanFest 360° Orlando.
Directed and produced by Boaz Dvir, an associate professor in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, the 86-minute film will also screen as an official selection at Documentaries Without Borders International Film Festival in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware (Sept. 14), Nigeria’s Taraba Human Rights International Film Festival (Sept. 24) and Twin Cities Black Film Festival in Minneapolis (Oct. 9).
A multiple finalist for awards, it recently won honorable mentioned at the New York Independent Film Festival. It also won Best Documentary Feature at the Windsor International Black Film Festival in Canada, Crown Point International Film Festival in Chicago and the Denver Indie Film Festival, as well as Best Teacher Film at the Helsinki Education Film Festival International in Finland.
“Class of Her Own” tells the story of Gloria Jean Merriex’s transformation into a trailblazing teacher who used hip hop and dance to lead her high-need school from an "F" to an "A" on Florida’s standardized state test. The film has screened as an official selection at 20 film festivals around the world.
In a recent review posted on its website, the Crown Point Festival wrote: “Indelibly inspiring, compelling in its messages about the state of today’s youth, wholeheartedly immersed in what it is for ONE person to initiate a paradigm shift in educational accomplishment, and simply an illustration of basic human connection, this documentary from writer/director/producer/editor/cinematographer/composer Boaz Dvir … is a one hundred percent A+ effort.”
“Class of Her Own,” which was also produced by Matthew Einstein and Emil Pinnock, is available for free viewing on Roku and Tubi.