Hannah Peterson’s quietly compelling, slow-burn feature debut, set in the final 
weeks of a high school academic year, 
explores the long-term psychological and emotional aftermath of a school shooting on its survivors, graduating students and faculty both, with standout performances coming from Mina Sundwall as a young woman still mourning the death of her boyfriend, Moonlight’s Alex Hibbert as a basketball team star who’s been MIA since the tragedy, and John Cho as the coach struggling to keep up 
a brave face through unendurable heartbreak. A somber and sobering portrait of a community searching for ways to heal, they turn to each other to find hope and a way forward. Director/ Writer / Editor Hannah Peterson joins us for a conversation on how for millions of school age young people in America the horrifying idea of a 
mass shooting in their classroom is not the stuff of fiction, what went into her approach to cast this exceptionally talented ensemble of young actors that also includes Yasmeen Fletcher, Ewan Manley, Maria Dizzia, and Kelly O’Sullivan, working with the award winning cinematographer, Carolina Costa, and her own trajectory as a filmmaker after working with Sean Baker and the film’s Co-Executive Producers John Cho and Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao.
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For more go to: futureoffilmisfemale.com/The Graduates
THE GRADUATES premiered at Tribeca Festival in 2023 where it was awarded Best Cinematography in U.S. Narrative.
The Graduates opens at Metrograph in New York on November 1
About the filmmaker – Director, Writer, Editor Hannah Peterson is a writer and director. Filmmaker Magazine named her one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” Her work has screened at Sundance Film Festival, MoMA, REDCAT, Tribeca Film Festival, and Slamdance Film Festival where she was awarded the AGBO fellowship for her short film, East of the River. She holds an MFA in Film Directing from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and a BA in Screen Studies from the New School. Prior to her work as a director, Hannah mentored under filmmakers Sean Baker and Chloé Zhao. For more go to: hannahloganpeterson.com
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“a moving slice of life, capped off with a stirring performance from Mina Sundwall.” – Kate Erbland, Indiewire
“If there was ever a film to watch about mourning and learning to adjust to a new normal, it’s Peterson’s poignant masterpiece.”- Mae Abdulbaki, Screenrant
“Void of emotional exploitation, Peterson’s film is a quiet drama that is searingly powerful.” – Emily Maskell, WeLoveCinema
“A quiet but wrenching drama.” – Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
“A story that needs to be told, made by a filmmaker who we can only hope has many more tales to share.” “a moving slice of life, capped off with a stirring performance from Mina Sundwall.” – Kate Erbland, IndieWire
“Features a star-making performance from its lead, Mina Sundwall… A compelling drama with incredible performances across the board and confident direction.” – Taylor Gates, Collider