With a successful inaugural film festival under their belts, organizers of the SUNYWide Film Festival at SUNY Fredonia are poised to stage an even more ambitious showcase of student-produced films April 15 - 17, 2010.
Much of the groundwork associated with staging a film festival, ranging from making contacts at other schools and developing entry procedures, was accomplished last year, so that’s freed up members of the Media Arts Club, the student-led group behind the festival, to concentrate on enhancing publicity and building an even bigger festival.
“We’ve updated our poster for the call for entries and developed an icon that we hope to use in future festivals,” said club vice president Dallas Greene, a junior TV/Digital Film major from Dansville, N.Y. The four-member Media Arts Club executive board worked with the local AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) student chapter to create a poster that features a squid with tentacles made of filmstrips.
The festival’s revamped website, also sporting an all-new color design, together with a new “call-for-entries” poster, should attract more attention from students across the SUNY system, organizers say. Very favorable word-of-mouth feedback from students who brought their films to SUNY Fredonia last year should also expand interest.
“I think it went very well last year,” said Phil Hastings, assistant professor of Visual Arts and club adviser. “A lot of winners that came last year said they were going back to their schools to promote it.”
Media Arts Club president Joe Lopez III anticipates as many as 100 entries. Posters and other support literature were mailed out before Thanksgiving to over three dozen SUNY schools to give students ample time to prepare films for possible entry. A showcase of films by campus faculty and staff, part of last year’s festival, will be continued. All entries are to be post-marked by Feb. 8.
The festival will keep its four categories — animation, documentary, narrative and experimental — as well as $5 student entry fee. Since the festival will be held two weeks later than last year, organizers are looking at a possible collaboration with the campus observance of Earth Week that could include screening student films that address the environment concerns. A juror to evaluate entries is expected to be announced soon after students return from the winter break.
