Alumni Spotlight: Cameron L. on Following His Curiosity (and His Camera)

Cameron (’20) first picked up a camera at ISZL — now he’s an NYU Tisch graduate with a film making its way through the festival circuit.

Since graduating from ISZL in 2020, I’ve been living in New York City, where I recently completed my BFA in Film & TV at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. During my time at university, I had the opportunity to explore a variety of production roles but found myself increasingly drawn into writing and directing in the comedy space. My thesis film, High Noon, was a culmination of this focus. It premiered at the Big Apple Film Festival and is currently making its way through the festival circuit, with hopes to screen at more festivals across the U.S. and Europe. I’m now preparing to move back home to the UK, where I’ll continue working in film and media in London.

My love for filmmaking really started at ISZL. I always enjoyed editing and would often film anything with friends for the sake of having something to edit when I got home. It was during my MYP Personal Project that I truly fell in love with filmmaking. For this project I decided to write, direct, shoot and edit my first narrative short.

Looking back, it wasn’t very polished or professional but it was my first real step into the craft of visual storytelling. From that moment, I knew it was something I wanted to pursue seriously, and I spent the rest of my time at school making as much as I could to build up my portfolio.

ISZL presented me with numerous opportunities to contribute to this by working on multiple projects for the school itself. I was fortunate enough to collaborate with the ISZL Advancement Team on projects such as ISZL Inspires. Additionally, the Youth Forum Switzerland gave me invaluable experience. Working in the media department I not only got a chance to do film work for live events but also learned about ethical filmmaking.

When I think back to my time at ISZL, the people were definitely one of the biggest highlights. Both the staff and students cared so much for one another and I wouldn’t be here without them. After deciding to take IB for my final two years of school I felt quite hesitant in doing the online film class but Zoe Badcock talked me through what the program would entail and motivated me to take it.

Taking English Language and Literature, Samantha Niederhauser helped me understand the power of language and foundations of storytelling. Her guidance deepened my appreciation for narrative structure and allowed for me to translate those skills to my work in film.

Although he wasn’t one of my teachers, Davide Caputo was incredibly influential during my time at ISZL. With his strong background in film, he was an amazing source of feedback and always supportive; especially when it came to making the project that ultimately got me into NYU. I also have to thank two of my good friends and fellow creatives, Mikayla Sibarium and Lucas Rohan. Both Mikayla and Lucas did an amazing job acting in many of my projects. They were always available and willing to help. We all remain great friends to this day and Mikayla actually attended NYU with me.