The 5th annual SUNYWide Film Festival & Symposium, to be hosted by SUNY Fredonia on April 10 to 12, will showcase the exceptional work of movie and filmmakers across the State University of New York system.
The two-day competitive film festival will begin on Thursday, April 10, by celebrating the creation, research and instruction of the cinematic arts. The competitive film festival will include 23 movies in categories in animation, documentary, experimental, music video and narrative.
For the 2014 festival, instead of the traditional single juror, there will be two, including filmmaker and animator Tommy Hartung, formerly of Silver Creek, and actor and producer Jeff Clark of Warren, Pa. Hartung produces videos that analyze the creation and dissemination of cultural narratives through entertainment. His work has been internationally featured in a variety of respected museums, galleries, and film festivals. Clark is the director of the Boonies International Film Festival. He has worked on movies such as, “War,” which was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and he won Best Actor in, “Wellness,” the at DiBa Digital Barcelona. Mr. Hartung will offer a presentation with selected works on Thursday, and Mr. Clark, on Friday, both at 7 p.m. in Jewett Hall Room 101. Mr. Clark will also discuss his work as an actor and producer on independent narrative films on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Williams Center Room 204D.
For the first time at the festival, there will be student paper presentations, slated for Friday, April 11 at 10 a.m. in Williams Center Room 204D. The festival has asked students to submit papers, with presentations not to exceed 20 minutes, about the cinematic arts. There will be a moderated Q&A session after each paper and winners will receive a monetary prize based on the number and quality of entries.
The film festival will offer a faculty symposium in Williams Center Room 204D on Friday, April 11 at 1 p.m., “Teaching the Cinematic Arts,” and invite teachers to share their successful or unsuccessful class assignments. The workshop will also discuss the technology of film in education. Also on Friday, Mr. Hartung will offer an open critique session for students at 2 p.m. in McEwen Hall Room 106.
Student film showcases will be held at 9 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, with the "Best of the Fest" films on Saturday at 7 p.m., all in Jewett Hall Room 101. A Faculty Showcase of films will be offered at 3 p.m. Saturday in Jewett Hall Room 101.
The festival is sponsored by Fredonia College Foundation's Carnahan-Jackson Humanities Fund, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Department of Visual Arts and New Media, the SUNY Fredonia Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Department of Theatre and Dance, the Film Studies Minor program, the Department of Communication and the Media Arts Club.
The festival is also made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council for the Art’s Electronic Media and Film Presentation Funds grant program, administered by The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes (www.NYSCA.org or www.eARTS.org).
B&H Photo and Video and Red Giant Software are corporate sponsors for the event.
For more details and information, see the website at www.sunywidefilmfestival.com, or contact Department of Visual Arts and New Media faculty member Phil Hastings at hastings@fredonia.edu.
