Saint Vincent professor wins award for film on Washington County park

A small plot of land in Washington County is in the spotlight, thanks to the work of Saint Vincent College faculty member David Safin.

Safin, an associate professor of digital art and media and communications department chair, recently was awarded a Bronze Telly Award for his short film, “Up on the Hill,” which he produced with his father, George J. Safin.

The 15-minute documentary focuses on the elder Safin’s long history with the 49-acre parcel known as Five Town Park, north of the small Monongahela River town of Roscoe.

It also explores the parks’s continuously evolving relationship with its surrounding community. Since the early 1960s, it has been a playground, a communal recreation facility and a natural sanctuary.

As a lifelong resident of Roscoe, George Safin has spent much of his life in the area that local residents refer to as “up on the hill.”

“I felt this (story) was worth telling because my dad is passionate about ‘the hill.’ It is a place where he seeks refuge to find comfort,” David Safin said. “I don’t make videos to win awards, I make them to share stories that I strongly believe are worth sharing.”

The Telly Awards were founded in 1979 to recognize excellence in local, regional and cable television commercials, with non-broadcast video and television programming categories added later. Submissions include work that was created for a specific brand or company, along with self-directed creative endeavors.

Judges rate entries on a 10-point scale; those receiving ratings between 7 and 8.9 are awarded a Bronze statuette for outstanding achievement. Thus, entrants do not compete against one another, but against a standard of excellence.

The 2023 awards were announced in May.

“Regardless of whether or not (the film) won the award, I would still be proud of it because of what it represents: my dad’s lifelong devotion to the idea of community,” David Safin said.

“Up on the Hill” first screened in June 2022 as part of the Film Kitchen Series at the Parkway Theater in McKees Rocks. It was broadcast on WQED’s Filmmakers Corner in January.

Safin graduated from Saint Vincent in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He has a master of science degree in multimedia technology from California University of Pennsyvania and a master of fine arts degree in film and digital technology from Chatham University.