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First Impressions

"First Impressions" is a short student film based on Jane Austen's classic novel, "Pride and Prejudice" and is set in an all American high school. This thirty minute student short follows Lizzy Berns (Rachael Fisher), a sixteen year old aspiring electrical engineer and scientist who works on her school's tech crew. When the charming Will Darcy (Rhys King) moves from London to join Lizzy's school and it's hilariously awful theater production of "Pride and Prejudice", Lizzy is forced to except his arrogance and pride in order to work with him and his friends. A retelling of a timeless classic, "First Impressions" is witty, hilarious, and heart warming. It balances staying true to Jane Austen while also bringing the over two century year old story new life in 2018.

  • Isabel Atiyah
    Director
    City of Refuge
  • Isabel Atiyah
    Writer
    City of Refuge
  • Isabel Atiyah
    Producer
    City of Refuge
  • Leia Terrenzi
    Producer
  • Rachael Fisher
    Key Cast
    "Lizzy Berns"
  • Rhys King
    Key Cast
    "Will Darcy"
  • Daniel Gonzalez- Kosasky
    Key Cast
    "Charlie Bailey"
  • Katie Rogers
    Key Cast
    "Katherine Bailey"
  • Daniel Yeo
    Key Cast
    "Ben Wical"
  • Liv Kindfuller
    Key Cast
    "Bridget Berns"
  • Lucy Purvis
    Key Cast
    "Georgie Darcy"
  • Leo Bernstein
    Key Cast
    "Colin Collins"
  • Katia Atiyah
    Key Cast
    "Lydia Berns"
    Chopped Junior
  • Leia Terrenzi
    Assistant Director
  • Helena
    Artistic Department
  • Project Type:
    Student
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Romance, Drama, Student
  • Runtime:
    30 minutes
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Isabel Atiyah

Isabel Atiyah is an American teenage film-maker known for her short film based off of Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice" titled, "First Impressions". She is also known for her short documentary on the Syrian Refugee Crisis titled, "City of Refuge" which follows her journey through the Zaatari Syrian Refugee Camp in Jordan and was selected into the Cleveland International Film Festival which is Academy Award qualifying.

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Director Statement

"I have absolutely loved writing, directing, and editing "First Impressions". I was reading Jane Austen's novel, "Pride and Prejudice" and realized that the story didn't feel so distant and old to me as an over 200 year old story should. It felt relatable and I began to translate Austen's story for the modern American high school. With my right hand on the keyboard and my left on the novel itself, I wrote the half hour romantic comedy that is "First Impressions". After this four month writing and adapting process, I began casting for the demanding roles that the script calls for. By the end of December, I had a stellar cast of ten actors with varying levels of acting experience. In January, we shot over five weekends with a total of six shooting days totaling to about fifty hours on set and an additional ten hours spent in rehearsal. After wrapping on January 28th, I began the extensive editing process, the end product of which is the 31 minute film "First Impressions (of Pride and Prejudice)" you see today. January was the best month of my life and this has been by far my favorite experience ever. Thank you so much to my amazing cast and crew." -Isabel Atiyah