{"id":33165,"date":"2024-03-21T05:03:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-21T09:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=33165"},"modified":"2024-03-20T17:06:10","modified_gmt":"2024-03-20T21:06:10","slug":"rapkin-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rapkin-film\/","title":{"rendered":"<em>Pitch Perfect<\/em> Author&#8217;s Latest Is a &#8216;Really Dark Comedy&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">Short film\u00a0<em>The Anne Frank Gift Shop<\/em>\u00a0uses wry humor to ponder how to make today\u2019s youth understand the vital lessons of history<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Joe Wilensky<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Mickey Rapkin \u201900 is best known for writing\u00a0<em>Pitch Perfect,<\/em>\u00a0the nonfiction book on the competitive collegiate\u00a0<em>a cappella<\/em>\u00a0scene (and on which the hit movie series was based). But his latest project delves into far weightier subjects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rapkin wrote and directed\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mickeyrapkin.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>The Anne Frank Gift Shop<\/em><\/a>, a new short film\u2014billed as \u201ca really dark comedy\u201d\u2014that is simultaneously humorous, satirical, and deeply emotional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Featuring such actors as Kate Burton, Ari Graynor, and Josh Meyers, it was shortlisted for a 2024 Academy Award in its category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 15-minute movie revolves around a fictional pitch meeting attended by representatives of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.annefrank.org\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anne Frank House<\/a>\u00a0museum in Amsterdam, staffers from a U.S. marketing firm, and a social media influencer\u2014as the museum reps seek novel ways to make Anne\u2019s story and the lessons of the Holocaust resonate with today\u2019s youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That meeting (and the film overall) unfolds in a quirky, self-aware narrative style reminiscent of workplace comedies like\u00a0<em>The Office<\/em>\u00a0and <em>Parks and Recreation<\/em>\u2014and the ideas that are tossed around range from absurd to solemn.<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Anne_Frank_Gift_Shop_poster-A-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Movie poster for The Anne Frank Gift Shop\" class=\"wp-image-33160 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Anne_Frank_Gift_Shop_poster-A-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Anne_Frank_Gift_Shop_poster-A-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Anne_Frank_Gift_Shop_poster-A-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Anne_Frank_Gift_Shop_poster-A-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Anne_Frank_Gift_Shop_poster-A-1054x1580.jpg 1054w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Anne_Frank_Gift_Shop_poster-A-527x790.jpg 527w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Anne_Frank_Gift_Shop_poster-A-263x395.jpg 263w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Anne_Frank_Gift_Shop_poster-A-333x500.jpg 333w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Anne_Frank_Gift_Shop_poster-A-167x250.jpg 167w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Anne_Frank_Gift_Shop_poster-A-83x125.jpg 83w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Anne_Frank_Gift_Shop_poster-A.jpg 1067w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Such as: tweaking Anne\u2019s smile in images of her; pitching a true-crime podcast (<em>Who Betrayed Anne Frank?<\/em>) to museum visitors; having a Holocaust survivor answer questions in the gift shop; and building a fictional Instagram account around Anne\u2019s cat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFor all of the comedy here\u2014and <em>The Anne Frank Gift Shop<\/em> is a comedy, first\u2014this film is personal,\u201d Rapkin says. \u201cIt\u2019s very Jewish to use comedy to process trauma.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>For all of the comedy here\u2014and <em>The Anne Frank Gift Shop<\/em> is a comedy, first\u2014this film is personal.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The movie premiered at the 2023 L.A. Short Film Festival and has since been featured at festivals in San Francisco and Atlanta. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More screenings are scheduled for April in Annapolis, Cleveland, and Miami; future showings and dates can be found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/theannefrankgiftshop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">on Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(And a trailer for the film is viewable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gGUakg8j4Xw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">on YouTube<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Actors Josh Meyers and Kate Burton look skeptical in a scene from The Anne Frank Gift Shop.\" class=\"wp-image-33163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Josh-Meyers-and-Kate-Burton-in-the-ANNE-FRANK-GIFT-SHOP-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The film&#8217;s headliners include Josh Meyers (left) and Kate Burton. <em>(Reboot Studios)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The Jewish culture site <em>Kveller<\/em> called the film \u201cjoltingly, infectiously funny,\u201d adding: \u201cWith every disarming peal of laughter, Rapkin and the movie\u2019s characters also manage to open and soften the audience, allowing them to impart some inalienable truths about the Holocaust and its memory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a piece titled \u201cHow Do You Market Anne Frank to Gen Z?,\u201d <em>GQ<\/em> notes the \u201cdarkly funny and ultimately moving turns by a strong cast\u201d and says the film \u201cprovides a poignant meta-commentary on our continually robust Anne Frank discourse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Mickey Rapkin sings with the Cayuga\u2019s Waiters during his Cornell days\" class=\"wp-image-33164 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/Sc28417100316111_0001-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Singing his heart out with the Cayuga\u2019s Waiters. <em>(Provided)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>On the Hill, Rapkin majored in communication in CALS and sang with the Cayuga\u2019s Waiters\u2014an experience that inspired <em>Pitch Perfect<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A former senior editor at <em>GQ<\/em>, he also penned <em>Theater Geek: The Real Life Drama of a Summer at Stagedoor Manor <\/em>and co-directed the documentary <em>Old Men Singing<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The idea for\u00a0<em>The Anne Frank Gift Shop<\/em>, he says, stemmed from a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.claimscon.org\/study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2020 study<\/a> indicating that a majority of young Americans don\u2019t know basic facts about the Holocaust.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTwo-thirds couldn\u2019t tell you how many Jews were killed; 11% somehow believe Jews \u2018caused\u2019 the Holocaust,\u201d Rapkin says. \u201cThis isn\u2019t ancient history. If Anne Frank were alive today, she\u2019d be three years younger than Mel Brooks\u2014and he just had a show on Hulu.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Mickey Rapkin, at left, on the set of The Anne Frank Gift Shop during filming\" class=\"wp-image-33162\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/IMG_2773-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rapkin (far left) on set. <em>(Reboot Studios)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In the film, Burton (as one of the museum reps) gives voice to Rapkin\u2019s mission to keep the Holocaust\u2019s memory alive\u2014and underscores how vital it is that humanity never forgets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI do not know how to reach young people,\u201d she says. \u201cBut the cost of doing nothing\u2014that I do know. We have to tell this story, again and again and again. Every which way. Or it will happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Top: Rapkin at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival in 2023. (Lori Eanes)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Published March 21, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator aligncenter has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Short film\u00a0<em>The Anne Frank Gift Shop<\/em>\u00a0uses wry humor to ponder how to make today\u2019s youth understand the vital lessons of history <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":33161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[31009,32335,29948],"footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[517],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-33165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","cornell_year_post-517"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Pitch Perfect Author&#039;s Latest Is a &#039;Really Dark Comedy&#039; - Cornellians | Cornell University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Short film\u00a0&quot;The Anne Frank Gift Shop&quot;\u00a0uses wry humor to ponder how to make today\u2019s youth understand the vital lessons of history\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rapkin-film\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pitch Perfect Author&#039;s Latest Is a &#039;Really Dark Comedy&#039; - Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Short film\u00a0&quot;The Anne Frank Gift Shop&quot;\u00a0uses wry humor to ponder how to make today\u2019s youth understand the vital lessons of history\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rapkin-film\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-21T09:03:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/03\/hero-Rapkin-at-film-fest-A.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joe Wilensky\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joe Wilensky\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rapkin-film\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rapkin-film\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Joe Wilensky\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eb12371d369d4c9b51867971301228e2\"},\"headline\":\"Pitch Perfect Author&#8217;s Latest Is a &#8216;Really Dark Comedy&#8217;\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-21T09:03:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rapkin-film\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":691,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rapkin-film\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/hero-Rapkin-at-film-fest-A.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Alumni\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rapkin-film\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rapkin-film\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rapkin-film\\\/\",\"name\":\"Pitch Perfect Author's Latest Is a 'Really Dark Comedy' - 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