You may have yet to meet him or have even seen his work. Still, Shining
Star Peter Matsoukas, Marian's multimedia production manager, is a filmmaker whose work won kudos for his short film, "The Diary of Henry J. McBride." The documentary motion picture is about a Civil War diary found in Marian University's archives and the lives it touched. The film recently debuted at the Indy Shorts Film Festival, presented by Heartland Film. The July festival is a qualifier for the Academy Awards.
"This documentary quickly became an important one for me and others I worked with," Matsoukas said. "The tie-in to Marian University was the icing on the cake." Matsoukas, a staff member in Marian's marketing communications department, has worked on the film the past year along with former Marian assistant professor of English Rachel Brown, Marian alumna Emily Parsons '23, and Sister Jean Marie Cleveland. Former Marian faculty members Lynne Colbert, Ben Tebbe, and Mark Latta also worked alongside Matsoukas.
"We are very proud of Peter and recognize his expertise in the film industry, said Maggie Kucik, Marian's Marketing Communications executive director and Matsoukas's supervisor. "With his connections and follow-up with the importance of this story, I feel blessed to have someone of his caliber contribute to Marian's media projects."
"The Diary of Henry J. McBride" was one of a record number of 3,900 plus film submissions statewide, while Matsoukas was one of 160 filmmakers who attended the 23 sold-out screenings.