Hundreds of Connecticut’s most influential leaders in industry, public service, education, and philanthropy will gather this week to celebrate the state’s history of innovation as showcased in a UConn-produced documentary.
“Innovation in Connecticut,” a feature film from UConn’s Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, will premiere Wednesday at The Bushnell Performing Arts Center in Hartford, followed by a discussion panel with Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd, and other dignitaries.
The wide-ranging documentary, which runs about 55 minutes, was initiated by UConn President Radenka Maric and led by Werth Institute Director David Noble, an associate professor in residence in the UConn School of Business.
Documentary filmmaker Zeljko Mirkovic, a UConn associate research professor at the Werth Institute, directed the project and takes a wide-ranging look at Connecticut’s history of innovation and its role in advancing American progress in myriad fields.
“This promises to be an evening rich in conversation as we celebrate Connecticut’s – and UConn’s – fascinating history in innovation,” Maric says.
The event was originally scheduled to take place in a smaller venue, but response has been so positive that it was moved to the larger Bushnell. Given the theater’s rich 90-year history as a gathering place for Connecticut’s arts, education, and community gatherings, Maric says, “I can think of no better venue to host ‘Innovation in Connecticut.’”
The documentary includes interviews with more than 30 people including Lamont, Dodd, Maric, and other thought leaders and innovators inside and outside of UConn.
It also features the founders of Connecticut-based companies like The Junkluggers and Skyre join state history professionals from the New England Air Museum, the New Haven Museum, and the Mark Twain House & Museum, and more.
Prominent UConn alumni are profiled, including CEO of Biohaven Pharmaceuticals Vlad Coric; entrepreneur and philanthropist Trisha Bailey; co-managing partner of Cantor Colburn LLP Michael Cantor; and lawyer, philanthropist, and former UConn Board of Trustees chairman Coleman Levy.
In addition to Wednesday’s premiere event, the documentary will be available for viewing on Connecticut Public Television and available to steam online, with a brief teaser already available for viewing on Werth’s website.
“‘Innovation in Connecticut,” is a very important documentary both for the state and the University of Connecticut,” Mirkovic says. “It shows the long history of Connecticut innovation and its strong connections with UConn, and their contribution to the U.S. and the world.”
A discussion panel will take place after the documentary premiere Wednesday to explore topics in the film, with Cantor serving as moderator.
Panelists will include Lamont, Dodd, Bailey, and Noble, joined by former Connecticut state Sen. Toni Boucher, Wilton’s current first selectman and a noted business leader and philanthropist; and Matt McCooe, chief executive officer of Connecticut Innovations.
