Navigating Her Own Production Timeline

Film is a notoriously tough industry to break into. Many actors, writers, and directors spend years—if not decades—desperately trying to bring their artistic vision to the world.

Noura Boustany Jost ’18 isn’t interested in being constrained by that timeline.

At just 20, she already has multiple serious film credits, and has put together a resume that very much indicates that she’s just getting started.

A sophomore working on a dual degree in entrepreneurship and film, television, voice-overs, and commercials (FTVC), Jost spent her freshman year working on a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) short film that she wrote, produced, directed, and starred in. The Tattoo, which chronicles the story of Jost’s Lily, is set in an alternative universe where each citizen has a tattoo that matches that of their soulmate. Lily however, is in love with someone with a different tattoo, and thus must choose between conforming to societal standards and expressing her individuality.

Jost noted that the inspiration for the film was rooted in very pertinent, ongoing social justice issues.

“It was a metaphor for the LGBTQ movement,” says Jost. “(Lily) was a female, so the whole point is that it’s ok to not choose the path that people might want you to choose.”

From the scope of her work, it’s clear that Jost is intent on using film to promote societal good. One of her upcoming projects, Trafficked, deals with the story of a female sex trafficking victim.

“I want to create movies that say something, which is why that movie about sex trafficking is important,” Jost says. “I think it’s important that people see that because it helps our generation understand how we can build a better future.”

Although incredibly ambitious in her own right, she has drawn upon the many resources offered at Pace to help realize her goals. Jost is a member of the Pace Student Film Club, which has been a crucial component of her collegiate experience thus far. During the filming of The Tattoo, an equipment snafu set the production timeline in disarray—but the Pace-based crew rose to the occasion.

“We lost two hours. I had to collect a team of people who had to do twice the amount of work,” she says. “There’s no way I could’ve made that movie without Pace teaching me how to be a good manager.”

As for the future, Jost is intent on building on the momentum she’s already created. In addition to Trafficked, Jost has been hired to cast multiple productions—including the web series, The Hipster Show, and the short film, First Time for Everything. She’s also been working quite a bit in the writing arena, partnering with Girl Be Heard—a nonprofit, social justice-minded theater company—to write pieces that “approach jarring subjects in our modern world.”

In addition to her work in film, Jost has taken her creative talents to the realm of poetry. Most recently, Jost published When the World Turns the Wrong Way, a collection of poems that tackles depression, anxiety, and sexual assault.

While Jost will likely stay busy over the course of the next few years, she will always have a home at Pace—which she feels stands out from other universities due to both the mindfulness level and caliber of student.

“I chose Pace entirely because of the people I met here. I didn’t know what I wanted out of college, but I knew I wanted to be in New York, and I knew I wanted to be around people who were happy.”