A native of Brooklyn, New York, Pearl Gluck joined the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State in 2014. A filmmaker, educator and community arts advocate, Gluck teaches screenwriting, directing and producing. Her work explores themes of gender, class, faith, and autobiographical storytelling. Gluck says: "... My goal is to help students uncover why they tell stories and how their voices fit into the cinematic tradition. Whether teaching screenwriting, directing, or production, I challenge students to balance creative exploration with technical discipline."
Her films through Palinka Pictures have garnered three Fulbright grants (to Hungary, Poland, and Israel), a Sundance Producer’s Lab fellowship, as well as support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Her feature film, "The Turn Out" (2018), blends documentary and fiction to address domestic sex trafficking and won several awards, including Best Debut Feature at the Female Eye Film Festival. Gluck's other award-winning films include "Castles in the Sky" (2024), "Write Me" (2020), "Summer" (2018), "Junior" (2016), "Where Is Joel Baum" (2012), and her debut documentary film, "Divan" (2004) which opened theatrically in New York’s Film Forum and broadcast premiered on the Sundance Channel.
Gluck’s films have screened at international festivals, including Cannes and Sundance, and played in theaters nationwide. She has been featured on NPR, PBS as well as other global outlets. She previously taught at institutions including Ohio University, Indiana University, Emory University and Rutgers University.
In 2019, she co-founded the Centre Film Festival, a multi-day, multi-venue event hosted in historic theaters across Philipsburg, State College and Altoona. Now entering its seventh season and awarded “Best Festival/Event of the Year” by the Happy Valley Tourism Board in 2024, the festival champions multigenerational storytelling and regional voices through screenings, masterclasses and hands-on workshops with visiting filmmakers. The festival also serves as a living classroom—anchoring first-year seminars, internships and interdisciplinary student involvement from across the university.
As the 2025–2026 Penn State Laureate, Gluck aims to expand the Centre Film Festival’s reach across the Commonwealth Campuses by bringing a traveling version of its workshops and screenings. Her goal is to inspire regional storytelling, connect students across the state and build pathways for future collaboration, residencies and artistic engagement. This initiative supports inclusive access to the arts and celebrates the legacy of Pennsylvania’s historic theaters while fostering a new generation of cinematic voices.
