Film Festival to give winner national platform
“Some of the short films tackle difficult issues such as the loss of a loved one, and others are a little sillier with plots about relationships and girls," Student Leadership Council cabinet member for the House Committee Will McCuistion said about this year's festival. "But they’re all great, or they wouldn’t have been chosen.”
Courtesy of Lee University Film Festival
The Lee University Film Festival event has been hosted on campus every spring semester, but this year the Student Leadership Council has opted to pair with the Communication Department and Film Society to make this event bigger and better than ever. Competitors now have a chance at national exposure.
Along with the festival advertising to attract the best student filmmakers on campus, the winner will be entered into several national film festival competitions.
Student Leadership Council cabinet member Will McCuistion said the quality and quantity of the films have helped with the transition to the national level.
“There will be eight films total shown at the festival: two music videos, which include original music, and six short films,” McCuistion said. “Some of the short films tackle difficult issues such as the loss of a loved one, and others are a little sillier with plots about relationships and girls. But they’re all great, or they wouldn’t have been chosen.”
Another change to this year's festival was the move to Pangle Hall from the Dixon Center, where the event was previously held. The move is intended to bring the event closer to the Communication Arts Department to continue building that relationship.
These national festivals are an opportunity for young filmmakers to be noticed in the industry, get experience making quality content and make connections with professionals already doing the jobs they aspire to do. Being entered and getting national exposure is a new bonus to go along with winning the Lee University Film Festival.
In the past, the film festival has been organized by Lee University’s Student Leadership Council, commonly known on campus as SLC. Under SLC's leadership, many talented students come together to show off their filmmaking capabilities.
Each film is shown at the award ceremony, where one film receives the Jury Award and another receives the Audience Award. Afterwards, a reception is held for student filmmakers and audience alike, all dressed in formal attire for an evening of celebration for the talented young students.
According to the Film Festival website, one must meet only a few qualifications to enter a submission. The film must be a music video, commercial or short film falling under 12 minutes in length. The guidelines also suggest that short films falling below an eight-minute mark will have a better chance of winning the Jury Award.
The final guideline is that all content portrayed in the film abides by the Community Covenant and portrays the likeness of a Christian campus. If the submission meets all of these qualifications, the chairpersons of SLC and Film Society review the film, and the best are selected to be shown at the festival.
This semester the deadline to submit a film was Feb. 3. The festival itself will be held on Friday night, Feb. 23, in Pangle Hall. The dress code is formal.
The reception will be held in the Business Building lobby to show off the new building to the community.
For more information about Film Festival, visit their website at leeufilmfestival.com.
