CUA Professor Hosts Test Screening for His Latest Film, MIND U! 

Image courtesy of Luis Zonenberg

By Luis Zonenberg

Last year, Catholic University was proud to roll out the red carpet for then-freshman business student Beckett Nelson’s film, Torrent. It seems this year the campus is rolling out the red carpet once more, this time for one of our own faculty members! Associate Professor of Media and Communication Studies Glenn Østen Anderson hosted a test screening of his latest sports documentary, MIND U, in the Kroubek Auditorium in the Crough Center. 

MIND U focuses on the importance of mental health in the athletics community.  The short film highlights several key stories from athletes and the people around them. It shows that their health and well-being don’t just affect them but also the people around them. From families affected by suicides to athletes across the country struggling to grapple with their physique, the short film serves as a touching reminder to keep one’s own health in check and be sure to reach out if you need any help. 

This film marks Anderson’s sixth festival-screened documentary short, the first being a biographical documentary he produced for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) TV network called To Remember. To Remember, when released, was viewed in 100 countries before being moved to YouTube. In between these documentary shorts, Anderson also produced his first feature-length documentary, Coogan’s Way, which focused on the legacy of the titular pub formerly located in Washington Heights, New York City. He was also a Co-Executive Producer on a Netflix Christmas movie called Santa Girl. It has been over five years since Anderson released Coogan’s Way, and his latest short has arrived over 12 years after the BBC released his first. 

With a career spanning over 20 years, Anderson has collaborated with many broadcasters from BBC News and various sports networks such as the YES Network, HBO Real Sports, and Fox Sports Net. Anderson was even one of the founding members of the BBC News YouTube channel, programming videos. It was there that he had his first short documentary published, which allowed him to lead social media coverage of the 2012 presidential election. 

Anderson has been advising and teaching various media and communication studies programs on campus for six years, still finding the time to work on his latest short film. He even got a CUA alumna, Kathryn Phillips, to help him film some of the documentary. Kathryn started work on this film while she was a student here at CUA, and has now gone on to work for the Denver Broncos in a film and video role. Anderson has been working to edit the film for well over a year, incorporating his students to receive as much feedback as possible as he polishes it for an upcoming festival tour. 

After years of hard work, Anderson held a public test screening in the Koubek Auditorium on February 5, 2026. Junior media and communications studies major Arian Risper stated, “What made me want to come and see it was just like the topic. I feel it’s a very important topic.” She also added that, “I feel like it’s not discussed as much with D3 sports, and I just feel like it’s something that removes the stigma, especially with something as broad a topic as mental health.” 

The Head Coach of Catholic Women’s Lacrosse, Meghan McDonogh, was also featured in MIND U.  McDonogh remarked how she never got used to filming, saying, “We were all so uncomfortable and awkward, but it was fun then watching the clips back.” She added, “We were told multiple times, normally. It’s hard. We aren’t normal.”

McDonogh also spoke about the themes discussed in the film, citing how, “It’s a really cool thing to have coming from our university and from someone like Glenn… I think we’re gonna start seeing more and more films like this, and for him to be at the forefront is really incredible. But also, the opportunity to just make sure these stories are being told throughout the country. It’s just really important to know that it’s coming from Catholic and that there is a little piece of Catholic in it.” 

Anderson is currently finalizing edits and has plans to screen it at multiple film festivals across the country. Stay tuned for more updates.

Note that Anderson serves as an advisor to The Tower; we have editorially decided not to quote Anderson.