Jonathan Sweeney, an 18-year-old student from Brookfield, has always been passionate about filmmaking. Watching shows like Drake and Josh and The Amanda Show growing up inspired him to want to be a showrunner or director in the future, but he didn’t always have the confidence to pursue what he aspired to be. In 2015, he joined the 12/14 Foundation and did their production of Liberty Smith where he met Michael Unger, who was working on productions in Newtown to help students heal by making art after the Sandy Hook Tragedy. Under Unger’s direction, Sweeney developed the confidence he needed to believe in himself and give making films a shot. Although his first one was never finished, his second film premiered in a 200-seat movie theater last January, and he’s not stopping there.
Innocence, which premiered on January 15th, 2017, is about a young boy dealing with the passing of his father. When he, an unnamed character, loses his father, he loses a piece of himself, and spends the entire film trying to find himself again. This comes, of course, with more challenges thrown his way. Individuals facing obstacles in their lives and coming out on top is a theme Sweeney likes to focus on in his short films, which he writes and directs himself. He is inspired to focus on these stories due to personal experiences, namely being his own medical problems. “When I was a baby, I went into a coma for 24 hours. I was not supposed to live past the age of 5, but somehow, by a miracle, I did. Those kinds of experiences drive me to make themes about challenges and overcoming obstacles and being a good person and putting good back into this world,” Sweeney share with me when we met to interview this past week. In Innocence, our unnamed boy (unnamed purposely to represent the characters loss of identity after the death of his father) has to hit rock bottom and nearly lose his life to realize that his biggest wish is to move on and become an even stronger person after all that this experience put him through, with Sweeney’s themes shining through.
Nearly three months after the film wrapped, Bethel Cinema hosted a one-night-only premiere for the short film. This is an experience Sweeney is honored to have had that he didn’t fully appreciate until it was over. “It took some processing time because when you have 200 people in a movie theater, every seat filled and people standing up, you’re so amazed and you can’t begin to believe that these people are here for you and want to support you,” Sweeney said. He described making and premiering the film as such an incredible learning process, that inspired him to keep creating and doing what he loves. “I’m very humbled by my experiences; (creating films) is something I believe is a gift, and I’m blessed to have it.”
Currently, Sweeney is working on his latest film, Fight or Flight, which wrapped filming only a couple weeks ago, about a med student who accidentally walks into and gets trapped in a crime scene where he has to diffuse a bomb in five minutes. Sweeney is also preparing to head off to Quinnipiac University this fall, where he will be studying film and television at a school very known for those programs. He’s hoping to continue to make films while he learns more about how to make each one better than the last.
When given the chance to share anything with me that he hadn’t been asked in our interview, Sweeney took the opportunity to thank some teachers and friends that have influenced him and helped him grow throughout his journey. “I have to thank Mr. David Peposki. He was my middle school principal, and he has evolved into someone I’ve looked up to like a second father. He has pushed me to be a good person, he has helped me endlessly, and he is part of the reason I am the way I am today. I also want to thank my late math teacher who passed away in July, Dr. Benjamin Jordan. He was another huge role model in my life. When Innocence came out he was over the moon excited, he always encouraged me. Right before he passed away, he told me to thank him when I win my first Oscar, which is incredible because him and Mr. Peposki are two people that when I win an award, they’re the people I am going to thank besides my own parents. I want to thank my parents for constantly being my role models who gave me every opportunity to succeed and grow, my friend Rachel Blumberg (a friend of his studying filmmaking), for (being) such a dream catcher and constantly inspiring me to be a better person and work harder as a filmmaker, and my partner in film Kyle Shelton who gave me the tools to be as successful as I am today.”
Sweeney is so excited to learn more about his passion in college so he can tell stories through art for the rest of his life. He is so thankful for all the opportunities he has been given thus far, and all the people involved in making his ideas into tangible product. Look out for his name - you’ll probably be hearing it in the next few years. You can link this article and tell all your friends you saw the inside scoop of a future famous showrunner while he was still on the up.