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The Lafayette community is invited to attend the Short Film Festival 7 p.m. Monday, May 7 in Oeschle Hall Auditorium, room 224.
The festival features original narrative films written, directed, and produced by students in the Topics in Film course taught by Alix Ohlin, assistant professor of English. While previous festivals have featured documentaries, these are fictional films starring student actors.
“In [Topics in Film], students studied the art, craft, and theory of the short film,” says Ohlin. “Each one wrote a screenplay for a narrative short; then, in groups, they cast, directed, and produced four of the films. This festival showcases student creativity and gives the entire Lafayette community a chance to see and enjoy the films.
“Students in the class learn film theory in a critical way, and the process of actually making the films cements their knowledge. It’s one thing to learn about editing and camera angles, for example, and another to put that knowledge to practical use.”
The four featured films are The End, The Bearing Straight, Helen of Troy, and 7-Step.
The End, made by English majors Kristine Ruch ’07 (Media, Pa.) and Kimberly Nieskens ’07 (East Northport, N.Y.); government and law major Caitlin Duley ’07 (Killingworth, Conn.); and American studies major Solange Bethart ’08 (Miami, Fla.), tells the story of two college students trying to find the truth behind a campus ghost story.
Margaret Garcia ’07 (Stamford, Conn.), who is pursuing a B.S. civil engineering and A.B. with a major in international studies; Ben Flath ’07 (Scotch Plains, N.J.), a civil engineering major; Jennifer Aranda ’07 (Paramus, N.J.), an English and women’s studies double major; and Danielle Bero ’07 (Astoria, N.Y.), a creative mediums and social justice major, produced The Bearing Straight, which focuses on two students searching for love in an alternate universe where being gay is the norm.
Helen of Troy, made by American studies majors Andrew Pava ’07 (Newton, Mass.) and Brandon Kurtzman ’07 (Charleston, S.C.); psychology major Jamie Dunn ’07 (Boston, Mass.); and government and law major Chance Cobb ’07 (Bethesda, Md.), shares the classic tale of boy meets girl, girl is a vacuum cleaner.
7-Step, a film by international economics and commerce major Matthew Roy ’07 (Long Valley, N.J.), Mike Dominguez ’07 (East Stroudsburg, Pa.), who is pursuing a B.S. computer science and A.B. with a major in engineering; and English majors Mike Canterino ’07 (White Plains, N.Y.) and Katherine Plater ’07 (Croton, N.Y.), tells about a man who, in order to find new love, must give up his old love – television.
Before the films from the class are shown, there will be a screening of the winners of the Information Technology Services/Apple Inc.-sponsored digital media competition Leopard Shorts. After the films, there will be a question-and-answer session with the filmmakers, and audience and jury prizes will be awarded.
“We live in an age dominated by media, and it’s crucial for students to have an understanding of the way media works,” says Ohlin. “By combining theoretical and practical knowledge, this class helps students think about film in an active, analytical way, instead of simply experiencing it as entertainment.”