"The Luddite Club"
Amanda Hanna-McLeer 15 FAV is writing, directing and producing a documentary called The Luddite Club, named for and following a group of New York City teenagers rejecting smartphones and social media. Hanna-McLeer previously taught at Edward R. Murrow High School, where the Luddite Club initially formed and where she founded a film program. She has also worked in post-production on television shows including The Americans and Broad City.
RISD alumni, all graduates from Film/Animation/Video, who are involved in the documentary include Ryan Cunninhgam 02 FAV, a member of the Board of Trustees; Emily Collins 08 FAV; Michaela Olsen 09 FAV; Anthony Galante 15 FAV and Abbey Killheffer 15 FAV.
The teens who founded the Luddite Club, some of whom studied film with Hanna-McLeer, were profiled in The New York Times in 2022.
“Networks were reaching out to the kids saying they wanted to film a documentary,” Hanna-McLeer says. “But they didn’t like how they were viewed as curiosities and felt that they wouldn’t be represented properly. I really wanted to make the film and do it justice, but only alongside the students.”
Filming for The Luddite Club is currently underway.
Images and video courtesy of Amanda Hanna-Mcleer, used with permission
