Prime Time

An avant garde prison power struggle as witnessed through the point of view of the inmates’ only television set with the biggest troublemaker and sweetest seducer on the cellblock. The Knicks have just taken the Bulls to overtime, but it’s time for Star Trek. The film took two days to shoot, one week to edit, and one year to create the special effects. With it being Shot on 16mm film and transferred to video and then edited on a computer - the first student film at Columbia to be edited digitally.

Directed by Dave Monahan, Prime Time leans on a strong ensemble — Johnny Garcia, Elvis Nolasco, A. Russell Andrews — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about comedy titles of 1997.