Paula M. Froehle
As Academic Dean of Flashpoint Academy, she has been integral in the development of an intensive, immersive educational program in Filmmaking, Recording Arts, Game Design, VFX/Animation and Broadcast Media. The first college to be started in Chicago in 50 years, Flashpoint takes a revolutionary approach to training in the media arts, through a fast-paced two-year program that emphasizes collaboration across disciplines, and hands-on immersive training. In January 2010 Flashpoint was awarded Degree-Granting Authority from the Illinois Board of Higher Education, a milestone that acknowledges the quality of the program.
In addition, Paula Froehle is a director, writer and producer, as well as a visual artist. Currently in post-production on her first feature-length documentary, she has directed 13 short films in the past 20 years. In 2005 she received the prestigious IFP Midwest’s Short Film Production Grant (valued at $100,000), which she used to complete her ninth short film, “Up On the Rope,” which involved working with members of the infamous Flying Wallendas circus family. Since “Up On the Rope” she has produced several films and directed “The Collector,” Flashpoint’s premiere Production-in-Action dramatic short, which premiered at the Chicago Outdoor Film Festival.
Her films have been funded by numerous arts organizations, including the IFP Midwest, the Illinois Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and The Experimental Sound Studio Chicago. They have screened and received awards at many festivals including the London Int'l Film Festival, the New Zealand Film Festivals, Tampere Int'l Film Festival, the Toronto International Short Film Festival, Cinequest Film Festival, the Mint Museum of Art, and the Humboldt Film Festival.
Her work has been described as "original and arresting" by Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader.
She has directed music videos & music-related films for Atavistic, a Chicago-based production company and record label. Credits include: Eleventh Dream Day ("Flutter"; director, and "Makin Like A Rug" ; co-director), Helmet ("Meantime" Profile; Director of Photography; "Give It"; D.P.), and 4 Non-Blondes ("Dear Mr. President"; D.P.).
In the past year, several films she has produced and directed have premiered at prestigious festivals:
Arithmetic Lesson
Produced by Paula Froehle
Directed by Wenhwa Ts’ao
Premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival in May 2008
Train Town
Produced by Paula Froehle
Directed by Keith Bearden
Premiered internationally at Clermont Ferrand, the prestigious short film festival and market in southern France. It also received the Silver Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival in Fall 2007. Keith Bearden, the director, is currently in post-production on his first feature with Kim Cattrall from “Sex and the City” and Brian Dennehey.
el relojero: The Clockmaker’s Revelation
Directed by Paula Froehle
Screened at the Museum of Modern Art Mexico as part of a retrospective of the work of Remedios Varo, Mexican Surrealist painter.
Just Act Normal
Produced by Paula Froehle
Directed by Hollie Lavenstein
Premiered at the prestigious AFIFest, Los Angeles, in November 2008, and is screening at Clermont-Ferrand in February 2009.
The Collector
Directed by Paula Froehle
Premiered at the Sonoma Valley Film Festival, in Napa, CA in September 2008, screened at the Outdoor Film Festival in Chicago, and screened at the Santa Fe Film Festival in December 2008.
Several pieces she has co-Executive Produced at Flashpoint are currently in post-production.
