Annual Film Festival

The annual Film Festival is on Friday, April 12 this year, a night for Houghton’s amateur filmmakers to showcase their current creative endeavors. The first event of the evening, a formal event, will first feature a “Blue-Hue” pre-party that will be hosted at 8 p.m. in the Van Dyk lounge.

The competition, following the pre-party, will take place in Wesley Chapel promptly at 9 p.m. As in any competition, the judging and awards will follow the screenings. Categories this year range from animation and comedy to commercial and drama. According to one of the judges in the competition, Sally Murphy, points are awarded according to different elements of the films such as acting, directing, and cinematography.

The awards are given for achievements such as best actor or actress, best cinematography, best editing, and of course, best picture. The competitive nature of the festival aside, contestant Aaron Fitzgerald, senior, regards it as an opportunity to “celebrate the work of filmmakers on campus.” Cory Martin, junior, said that the purpose of the festival is a chance for students to proudly “display their art to the public.”

Expectations are high for this year’s turnout. “In the past, the Houghton Film Festival has been a big letdown for me. The content was not good. It did not provide a good context to show something you had worked hard on. It was a popularity contest,” said Fitzgerald. “On further inspection, the quality of work and the attitudes of the people submitting films this year seems to be a much higher level and I am happy that I submitted something.”

Submissions this year range from the serious to the comical; “some are stupid and make you scratch your head and laugh, and others are on a more serious note,” senior contestant Andrew Jones said. From an animation film based on a Richard Simmons’ dance video submitted by Martin, to a short film-poem that adapts Ulysses by Tennyson entered by Fitzgerald, this year’s entries are sure to both entertain and encourage thought-provoking dialogue for filmmakers and attendees alike.

This evening would not be possible, of course, without the interest of Houghton students in the art of filmmaking. Jones is looking forward to the Festival as an opportunity to showcase his videos on a larger scale than the in-class critique. Jones said, “Video is such a big part of our culture and it’s great when I can contribute my own ideas and stories. I just enjoy telling stories through film, and much like writing, acting, singing, or painting, film is just another way you can tell a story in an engaging and entertaining way.”

Senior Nicholas Quigley said, “I wanted to submit my piece to share with my friends what I actually do as a communication major.” His entry, Visions, is a submission in the Drama category; he said that his piece “is an ambiguous piece that takes you on a journey in and out of this guy’s head as he deals with his darkest time in his life. What I love about the piece is its ambiguity that leaves the viewer open to interpreting it as they want.”

This year’s Film Festival is a celebration of film that offers a chance to view some fantastic amateur films by fellow students. Murphy said that it is an opportunity to “feel a little Hollywood glam,” making this an event that students will not want to miss.