FilmFest hosted a new event this year based around a 24-hour film competition.
The contest gave student filmmakers 24 hours to produce a project in a day to be viewed by the public. The event, which sought to garner more student involvement, served as a compact version of the annual FilmFest.
Katie Maxwell, director of FilmFest, said this idea came from student input.
“We had students last year who brought the idea to us and really wanted to see if we could put something together like this,” Maxwell said. “This is not a competition. It really is just a way to get students involved, especially students who haven’t really been around filmmaking before to have a crash course.”
The participants were handed the script and told their positions at dinner, an hour before the time starts. From there they had to create and cast their project.
Holly Reichling, FilmFest assistant director, said experienced assistance was provided for those participating.
“They’ll be a couple of professors who are involved and helping things go smoothly, especially for people who have never worked together before,” said Reichling, sophomore multimedia-film major from San Antonio.
After students submit their films, FilmFest staff edited them to be shown at on Halloween night at the Learning Studio.
This new event was created to serve as a way to gain traction for the annual festival.
FilmFest is student-run production highlighting various films completed by students. It takes place during the spring, with this year’s event to be on April 14, 2023.
The festival invites students of all majors and experience levels to take part. To help prepare those interested for the festival next spring, workshops are in place to improve familiarity with the equipment and processes.
“With the workshops, it’s giving them a chance to go in and learn how to do it, so they’re not just jumping in blindly,” Reichling said. “So I think it’s helping bring in more people.”
With teams still forming, students can get involved with the festival by contacting via email at filmfest@acu.edu or on Instagram @acufilmfest.
