Alexandria Bader '19 | Screenwriter
Alexandria Bader came to LMU for the School of Film and Television, but discovering that she could, in addition to her film and television production degree, minor in Jewish Studies, was a welcomed surprise.
The Jewish Studies department played an important role in Bader's academic journey when she discovered she wasn't able to take a feature-film screenwriting class unless she declared a screenwriting minor. She was disappointed by this as she had an idea for a feature film about a 16-year-old Jewish resistance fighter in World War II. When she told Professor Holli Levitsky about this idea, Dr. Levitsky said she would help Bader turn her dream of writing a feature-length screenplay into a reality. Applying for and receiving the Lumer Fellowship would enable Bader to take the time to create her screenplay.
Bader got the idea for the screenplay after discovering a girl named Zina who fought in the Belarusian resistance. She was a real person, but there is very little written about her in English. Dr. Levitsky helped Bader connect with professors across the country who could help her translate manuscripts and unearth Zina's story. Once Bader had completed her research, she and Dr. Levitsky worked together over the course of a semester-long independent study to plot out Zina's story along with fictionalized components that would fill the gaps left in Zina's narrative. After this first semester spent working independently on the project, Dr. Levitsky connected Bader with Professor Beth Serlin in LMU's screenwriting department. Bader went on to work with Professor Serlin for a semester and was able to complete a first draft of the script.
Bader shared that the fellowship "gave me that buffer of funding so that I didn't have to be stressed about money." She explained that her senior thesis, which was an entirely separate film, would have been a higher stress situation if she hadn't won the Lumer Fellowship.
Post-graduation, Bader has continued working on the script she developed about Zina's story, saying, "Scripts take years to fine-tune, and a World War II movie is a big feat." She has hopes of one day pitching the script to producers who would allow her to act in the film.
In the meantime, Bader has created her own commercial production company, Lior Films, to keep herself immersed in the entertainment industry. She credits the classes she took in the Jewish Studies department with deepening her understanding of Judaism and Israel, which has brought her closer to her family. She is also appreciative that the program exists on a Jesuit Catholic campus, because it allows students to consider their own spiritual journeys.
Bader would advise every Jewish Studies minor to visit their professors' office hours. In fact, she learned about the Lumer Fellowship and other scholarship opportunities from Dr. Levitsky during office hours.
"I don't know anyone else at LMU who got that opportunity, so I'm extremely grateful for the fellowship that allowed that study."