With over 34 entries, the 2014 Student Film Festival was sure to be jam-packed with all the film artistry SOU could muster.
Chazlyn Lovely, the student coordinator for the event, thanked the student film contributors, saying she and the judges were “blown away by the time and effort put into each and every film…we were just sad we couldn’t take them all.”
The show featured a wide range of entries in five categories: Trailers/Promotional, Music Videos, Drama, Comedy, and Documentaries. All the accepted entries in each category were shown on Tuesday night at the Varsity Theater downtown except for the documentaries, and the winners of each category were shown on Thursday at the Meese Auditorium in the SOU Art Building along with the documentaries.
The ultimate winner of the show, receiving the coveted Audience Favorite award, was “Through the Lens” by Michelle Branch. The movie visited old reputedly haunted university dormitories. Audience members and students could vote online for their favorite film throughout the event.
The winner of the drama category was “A Cage” by Daniel Rester, a dark, intense film about a hostage situation. The winner of the Comedy category was “Hooked on Phonics” by Piers Dennis, a spoof of child-educational infomercials.
“Detroit Misunderstanding” by Jasmine Karcey won the Music Video award. “Solitary Confinement in the United States” by Wendy Temple won the Documentary award and honor.
Each award winner was presented with a marvelously creative little statue of a zombie Walter White, fulfilling the festival theme of Breaking Dead, or a combination of The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad. “Zombies” also invaded the Meese Auditorium during intermission, scaring at least this author, although perhaps no one else. They performed a bizarre dance shuffle that will haunt many dreams.
The end of the Student Film Festival was followed by a nice after party in the SOU art building corridor, featuring free food from many local restaurants, including Omar’s and Market of Choice. There was also a band present, and art available in the other art buildings. Ultimately, the Student Film Festival was a great showing of SOU student artistic ability and inspiration, and a fun night for everyone who attended.
Lovely encourages students to keep up the good work, saying “this year was so great, it just gets me excited for all the entries next year!” Keep your eyes open for that event, it promises to deliver a free night of great fun.
