Three friends laughing together at a table.

Commencement Eve

A FILM BY GRACE SUNNY SUN

On the midnight before graduation at Harvard, four best friends—Karina, Caron, Madison, and Grace—gather for one last night together, suspended between girlhood and adulthood.

FILMED AT HARVARD COMMENCEMENT — MAY 2023

On the midnight before graduation at Harvard, four best friends—Karina, Caron, Madison, and Grace—gather for one last night together, suspended between girlhood and adulthood.

Crafted as a lyrical collage that weaves together vérité documentary and narrative storytelling, the film pairs contemporary cinematography with nostalgic Super8mm film to evoke the time-capsule feel of home movies.

As the friends share laughter, secrets, and anxieties about the uncertain futures that await, their true voices guide the film: each young woman reflecting in her own words on what she's learned, what she'll miss, and what she hopes for the next chapter. Directed by Harvard University Artist-in-Residence Grace Sun—realized in collaboration with a cast and crew of graduating students—the film is an authentic exploration of friendship, memory, and becoming.

The night flows with spontaneous dancing, heartfelt confessions, quiet reflection, and bursts of laughter, while dreamlike glimpses of campus life and Harvard's real commencement are woven throughout. Playful, celebratory, and bittersweet, the film is an ode to fleeting moments and lifelong bonds, inviting audiences to recall their own coming-of-age milestones. Capturing the liminal space between past and future, the film offers a resonant reflection on nostalgia, hope, and the beauty of saying goodbye.

WATCH ON VIMEO

Project video

06:19

Public source preserved locally for development. External publication requires human approval.

Behind the Scenes

Signed cast Polaroid portrait of Caron Kim.
Fig 1
Signed cast Polaroid portrait of Grace Allen.
Fig 2
Signed cast Polaroid portrait of Karina Cowperthwaite.
Fig 3
Signed cast Polaroid portrait of Madison Mankey.
Fig 4
Four friends dressed for a celebration in the original Commencement Eve inspiration photograph.
Fig 5
Black-and-white behind-the-scenes photograph of a camera crew filming in the Signet Library.
Fig 6
Four women laughing together on a window seat in a warm 35mm behind-the-scenes photograph.
Fig 7
Four women laughing and talking in the Signet Library during filming.
Fig 8
Four women standing together in the Signet Library in a 35mm production photograph.
Fig 9
Behind-the-scenes view of Commencement Eve being filmed inside the Signet Library.
Fig 10
Four friends leaning together around a table in a Commencement Eve Polaroid.
Fig 11
Four friends posing together in a candid Commencement Eve Polaroid.
Fig 12
Four friends seated on a window seat in a Commencement Eve Polaroid.
Fig 13
Three friends posing in front of a chalkboard in a Commencement Eve Polaroid.
Fig 14
Four friends gathered around a table in a candid instant photograph.
Fig 15
Commencement Eve poster showing four friends in the Signet Library.
Fig 16
Commencement Eve cast and crew group portrait surrounded by lights and production equipment.
Fig 17

Credits

Cast

Karina Cowperthwaite

Cast

Caron Kim

Cast

Madison Mankey

Cast

Grace Allen

Cast

Crew

Grace Sun

Director