Pearl Gluck

Pearl Gluck is the Donald P. Bellisario Career Advancement Professor and Associate Professor at the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, Pennsylvania State University. She teaches screenwriting, directing, and producing, emphasizing gender, class, faith, and autobiographical storytelling. Her work bridges documentary and fiction to address social issues like sex trafficking. Gluck co-founded the Centre Film Festival (2019), now a celebrated regional event fostering multigenerational storytelling and interdisciplinary collaboration across Pennsylvania.

Education: B.A. from Brandeis University and M.F.A. from City College of New York. Previously taught at Ohio University, Indiana University, Emory University, and Rutgers University.

Research interests focus on cinematic storytelling’s ethical and social dimensions, community arts advocacy, and hybrid documentary techniques. Her films have screened at Cannes and Sundance, with awards including three Fulbright grants and a Sundance Producer’s Lab fellowship.

As 2025–2026 Penn State Laureate, she expands the Centre Film Festival’s reach statewide through traveling workshops and screenings, promoting inclusive artistic engagement and regional collaboration.