by Kathryne Kraven Bradesca
Nathan Kuczmarski ’22 sees the world through a camera lens. He has been testing the limits of cameras for years, following in the footsteps of his dad who was always documenting trips and memories with his camcorder.
“I love having all these memories I can dive back into,” he says.
And with the help of his siblings, Nathan now documents the family trips, but has also branched out to his school community. With older twin siblings as sounding boards and supportive parents, he is living life behind a camera, creating documentaries on topics and communities both near and far.
Nathan’s passion for filmmaking flourished during the lockdown in March 2020 when he had so much time on his hands. “I went full into it, posting videos on social media. I currently have 640,000 followers on TikTok and 7,300 YouTube subscribers.”
Currently Nathan is working on too many projects to count. A few favorites include a documentary on a Rock, Paper, Scissors league out of Canada, a video about how COVID has affected daily life at Saint Ignatius, sports videography projects, fictional films for the Film Making class, and a dizzying array of digital content as well as Editor-in-Chief duties for The Eye, the school’s student-led publication.
“One of my biggest inspirations at Saint Ignatius is Mr. Sabol, one of the moderators of The Eye,” he says. “I wanted to branch out, and he said go do it. He has been there for me ever since.”
Speaking of branching out, Nathan and his friend Dominic Wilson ’22 decided to start a club at Saint Ignatius dedicated to filmmaking. “We had been making films all over the place. We want to grow a community of filmmakers, build a network, and hopefully start getting some commission,” he says. The film club, The Lens, meets regularly and has hosted several competitions for blossoming student filmmakers.
Nathan is always hungry for new information for his documentaries. When he isn’t making a film he is reading and talking about concepts. He has also joined C.A.T., Yoga Club, and Alliance. “I am constantly consuming and observing the world, seeing as many different perspectives as I can.”
“In basically everything I do, I just want to foster empathy among people to push for a more understanding and less divided society,” he says. “It's a lot easier to hate a stranger than someone you feel you know.”
So what does the future hold for this burgeoning filmmaker? Film school, of course. Nathan is still investigating college choices, but University of Southern California, New York University, and Loyola Marymount are currently topping the list.
But before he leaves, he is dedicated to expanding The Lens and being an eye for issues around the school—and beyond.
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