5 Questions for Alex Lucier ’25

Alex Lucier ’25 is the writer, director, and producer of Summer Interlude, a feature film that started as a classroom project during his undergraduate studies and is now making the rounds on the independent festival circuit. We caught up with Lucier to learn more about the film and the partnership with a Worcester State faculty member that made it possible. 

What can you tell us about the movie?

It’s a coming-of-age story. Set in a small coastal town in Maine, Summer Interlude follows a high school graduate during the last week of summer as he decides whether to pursue college or his personal dreams of becoming a filmmaker. The events are set in motion when the main character connects with a girl he went to school with, who’s going down a more unorthodox path. She plans to travel and he’s really inspired by her. I know a lot of young people who grow up watching others who seem to be doing amazing things and it makes them feel stuck in their own small town. That’s what this film is about.

Assistant Professor Brittany Severance helped a great deal with the film. What did that partnership entail and how did it come together?

I took a scriptwriting class with Professor Severance, who is also an amazing filmmaker. One of the projects she gave us was to write the first act of a feature film, and Summer Interlude was born. I knew I wanted to write something I could actually picture making, and she kept encouraging me. I wasn’t always sure what I was doing, but at every step of the process we worked together to figure out what comes next. She’s been an amazing mentor.

How was it balancing the production side of the project with the creative?

Producing the film was a massive undertaking. Figuring out how to pay the cast, schedule the shoots, feed everyone, and put everyone up in an AirBNB was a major challenge. But I learned so much about the production side of the filmmaking business. We were also really successful crowdfunding—the support we received was amazing and came from all over the community: family, friends, anonymous donors, even old teachers and coaches.

Where has the film been screening?

I was able to screen an early version of the film on campus at Worcester State. We just had our first festival screening and we’re currently submitting it for others. 

What comes after the festival circuit?

I’m planning to screen it for friends, family, cast, and crew at my hometown movie theater in Gardner, Mass. At that point, it’ll be out in the world. I know so many people back home want to see it, and I want to have it on the big screen, of course. I want people to see the movie and hear this story. I hope you can see in the movie all the effort we put in and all the fun we had making it. That’s the most important part.