The University is home to a large population of creative individuals, including filmmakers both within and outside the College of Media.
To showcase these student filmmakers and the works they’ve created, the Illinois Student Film Festival will be held in the Knight Auditorium of Spurlock Museum on May 2.
The festival, which takes place every spring, is curated entirely by students and professor in Media Jonathan Knipp.
Screenings begin at 7 p.m. and last about two hours, with complimentary popcorn, candy and soft drinks offered to attendees. Doors open at 6 p.m. to allow student filmmakers and appreciators to meet each other.
“We have roughly an hour before the actual start of the event, so there are opportunities for networking,” Knipp said. “So that’s kind of how we set it up, just so it becomes even more fun than it would be if they were just watching a bunch of really great student films.”
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MACS 366: Film Festivals examines the history and significance of film festivals, covering several local, national and international festivals. The course culminates in the organization and promotion of the Illinois Student Film Festival, which is run entirely by the students, such as Charlie Michaels, junior in Media.
“The film festival itself is 100% student-run,” Michaels said. “Professor Knipp just acts as a branch between years, bringing forward resources and information from past years so that students can be successful.”
Students in MACS 366 divide into different teams — the submissions team reviews submitted films and the programming team edits together submitted films. Additionally, event promotion and social media teams work mainly on promoting the event to draw in a larger audience.
Edmond Ruth, senior in Media and MACS 366 student, has worked on bringing attention to the festival through social media.
“Basically, I’m going to help out with behind-the-scenes, make sure everything is set up on the day of the film festival,” Ruth said. “In class, I’ve been making reels, posting them and trying to generate a little bit of talk and get people interested to submit their videos or to come and attend.”
Knipp oversees the film festival to give filmmakers across campus, especially those who aren’t involved in production classes, the ability to share what they’ve created with fellow filmmakers or enthusiasts.
“I think it’s very important for students to recognize the thriving artistic community that exists on campus,” Knipp said. “So what I’m trying to do is provide an opportunity for student filmmakers to create a forum where they can show their work, have their work appreciated by their peers, meet other filmmakers and essentially just support an aspect of the arts community on campus that wouldn’t otherwise have an opportunity to show their work.”
Students can submit their films of any genre — including drama, comedy, horror and documentary — until Friday. The only requirement for submissions is that they come from University students.
“We get a lot of submissions outside of the College of Media,” Michaels said. “Students who get their hands on a camera, who want to film something, who want to show their perspective on something, whether or not that’s a narrative piece, a documentary piece or a dance or music — any sort of filmed creativity is what we’re looking to showcase.”
A panel of jurors, made up of MACS 366 students, will decide on a winning film, whose creator will receive a $500 prize from the Jonathan Laxamana Endowment Fund. Additionally, the audience members can vote on their favorite film, which will receive a $200 award.
Students of all levels of filmmaking experience are encouraged to enter the film festival, which is ultimately about sharing creativity, connecting with students of similar interests and getting inspiration from other filmmakers.
“The purpose is to show that this is a student festival — you don’t need to be perfect,” Michaels said. “Everybody’s learning, and so it’s meant to also act as a motivator for other students to say, ‘Hey, look at that. I can do that, and maybe I’ll try and submit something next year.’”
