Alumni in the News: February 8

On February 6, The New York Times ran an Op-Ed by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela ’00, an associate professor of history at The New School. “Goodbye to the Cult of SoulCycle” looks at how “revelations are exposing the darkness at the core of the boutique fitness craze.”

Anna Winger '93

JÖRG WINGER

The Netflix film Mank, which depicts the life of Citizen Kane co-writer Herman Mankiewicz CC 1917, picked up six nominations (including Best Drama Film, Best Director for David Fincher and Best Screenplay for Jack Fincher) for the 78th Golden Globes. The Netflix series Unorthodox, written by Anna Winger ’93, was nominated for Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television. The nominees were announced on February 3; the Globes telecast — the first major televised event of the year — will be on February 28.


Sasha Stewart ’09 is a writer for the six-part historical docuseries Amend: The Fight for America, about the 14th Amendment, which will debut on Netflix on February 17 and will be hosted by actor Will Smith.

In Sundance 2021 news, Doublespeak, a short film produced by Stephanie Fine ’18, SOA’21 and written and directed by Hazel McKibbin SOA’21, had its festival premiere on January 28 in the Shorts Program. The film deals with a young woman grappling with sexual harassment in her workplace. Meanwhile, Snowy, a documentary short about a pet turtle that was co-directed by Alex Wolf Lewis ’12, had its world premiere on January 28; Wolf Lewis also directed the photography.

Columbia men’s soccer alumnus Dylan Castanheira ’19 signed a contract with Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer, the club announced on January 27. The goalkeeper signed with the team through the 2021 Major League Soccer season, with club options for 2022 and 2023.

Rep. Peter Meijer ’12 (R-Mich.) was featured on The New York Times’s podcast “The Daily” on January 15. In “The View From a Republican Who Voted to Impeach,” Meijer explains why he joined with nine Republican colleagues to do so.

Kosta K Headshot_Alan Byland_crop

Kosta Karakashyan ’19

Alan Byland

Out.bg, a Bulgarian LGBTQ+ community platform created by editor-in-chief Kosta Karakashyan ’19 for LGBTQ+ people and their allies, launched on January 12. Antonia Georgieva ’18 is the associate arts editor. From the press release: “Out.bg aims to be a next-generation media that covers news and politics with an advocacy stance, shining light on the issues and challenges that queer Bulgarians face.”