This year’s Film Fest, which took place last Saturday, April 5, boasted an array of student films ranging from animation to drama to commercial work.
Houghton’s Film Fest is an annual CAB-produced event. Students were asked to submit their own work earlier this semester, to be judged by a panel of faculty, staff, and students. The final nominations were announced on April 3 into the following categories: best picture, direction, editing, cinematography, sound, and actor. Other awards included: best animation, comedy, commercial, creating awareness, documentary, drama, and narrative.
This is the eighth year that CAB has hosted the Film Fest, but according to Greg Bish, director of student programs, this year showcased some of the finest work in Film Fest history. “Eight years ago, we created Film Fest when there was minimum academic support for video…in the past few years we’ve seen a dramatic improvement.” Bish credited this to the expansions of Communications major, but stressed that, “we continue to look for ways to encourage all students to submit films.”
The black-tie event was hosted by David Davies, assistant professor of composition and theory, and Mike Jordan, dean of the chapel, who announced the winners of each of the categories. CAB members presented each of the winners with “Willies” and prizes such as newly-released Hollywood films such as Frozen and The Hobbit.
Cory Martin, a senior majoring in communications, was awarded a total of six “Willies” during the evening, including “best picture” for his short drama, “Rivers and Roads.” In an interview, Martin said that all of the films he presented “were from a digital video class that I took last semester.” “Rivers and Roads,” according to Martin, was a project that was helped by conversations and assistance from friends.
Other winners included Raphael Derungs, senior; Evan Symanski, junior; Mason Wilkes, sophomore; Joshua Duttweiler, junior; and Steve McCord, senior.