By Michael Freeman, Managing Editor
Kirk Cameron never ceases to amaze me.
After watching Fireproof recently, I am absolutely befuddled why Hollywood did not nominate the Christian evangelical actor for an Academy Award. His performance redefined the word “extraordinary.”
Who else could have expressed only a handful of emotions, while his character struggled to keep his fractured marriage from spiraling into a heart-wrenching divorce? Who else could have endured performing with inexperienced actors, almost all of which sported phony Southern accents? And who else could have overcome working on a movie with a plot so corny, so incomplete and so unsatisfying it would have forced Roger Ebert to tears because he would not have had enough thumbs to turn upside-down, only to deliver the performance of the century?
Nobody could.
Especially nobody starring in any of the films being shown at this year’s FilmFest. Instead the student actors aimed much lower – like on the acting level of Meryl Streep or Tom Hanks. And the student directors, producers, sound technicians and cinematographers went even lower, capturing glimmers of Steven Spielberg or the Coen Brothers.
Still, the five-minute movies will be worth watching. Students have worked tirelessly to produce, shoot and edit their films. Students behind-the-scenes also have worked vigorously for this week’s show. In fact, they have worked more than in past shows because this year’s show is almost entirely produced by students.
FilmFest is going through its own set of growing pains. Unlike in the past, no ACU staff member led the effort in planning this year’s show, so students stepped in last June to accommodate other ACU students who have an interest in cinematography. FilmFest has been the only on-campus outlet for those interested students to express their creativity and talent. Yet as they have continued to participate in the annual film festival, support from the rest of the student body has waned.
Attendance at the first FilmFest reached upwards of about 1,000 people, but about 500 attended last year’s show. The numbers for this year’s show should not be as low.
FilmFest will be Friday at 7 p.m. in the Paramount Theatre in downtown Abilene. Tickets cost $5 with a student ID, and with the price of admission, attendees will be able to watch quality entertainment produced by their peers, some of whom used high-definition cameras and top of the line editing software.
The students’ efforts to keep the event alive and at a high level of quality should be applauded and rewarded.
So, this Friday, instead of renting one of Kirk Cameron’s masterpieces at Blockbuster, head on down to the Paramount Theatre to witness a little shimmer of Hollywood in West Texas. This time, I’m sure Kirk won’t mind being “left behind.”
