The Writing on the Wall
Synopsis
25% of New York adults are considered functionally illiterate. The Writing on the Wall provides an insight into this often hidden population. With the help of two adults just learning to read, the film explores the challenges people who lack adequate reading or writing skills face in a rapidly changing world.
Filmmakers
Erika Glass
Erika Glass graduated with honors in broadcast journalism from the University of Miami in 2015. During her undergraduate career, Erika worked as executive producer and managing editor for the school’s award-winning sports news broadcast and campus newspaper, respectively. At Columbia, she was awarded the prestigious duPont-Columbia Awards research fellowship. She currently works for Tom BrokawReports on NBC News. She was recently awarded the “Best Student Filmmaker” award for her thesis film at the Megacities ShortDocs Contest in Paris, France.
glass.erika@columbia.edu
Nokuthula Manyathi
Nokuthula Manyathi is a South African journalist based in New York. She has an undergraduate degree in media studies and international relations from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. She previously worked as a reporter for the South African national newspaper City Press and she has worked at a women’s interest magazine, where she created multimedia content. She is currently the Documentary Fellow at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She was recently awarded the “Best Student Filmmaker” award for her thesis film at the Megacities ShortDocs Contest in Paris, France.
nzm2105@columbia.edu
