The University of Notre Dame’s Department of Film, Television and Theatre (FTT) announces the 27th annual Notre Dame Student Film Festival, taking place Jan. 29-31 (Friday-Sunday) in the Browning Cinema at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.
As in recent years, audience members are invited to vote for their favorite film via text message. The Audience Choice Award will be presented to the student director(s) of the winning film after the final screening.
An annual launching pad for student filmmakers as they begin their careers in the film, television and entertainment industry, the Notre Dame Student Film Festival has featured the first films of future award winners such as Peter Richardson, 2011 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award winner for “How To Die in Oregon,” and John Hibey, 2012 Sundance Film Jury Award Winner for Short Filmmaking for “Fishing Without Nets,” as well as numerous others. Many films from past festivals have also been selected for national and international film festivals.
The festival screens films that were made by undergraduate students during the past year as class projects in the Department of Film, Television and Theatre. Festival founder and FTT faculty member Ted Mandell said, “I’m very excited for our students, who have put in countless hours of hard work and produced intriguing, high-quality films, each with their own unique creative vision.”
This year’s festival features the following 11 films:
- “Five Simple Steps” (11:38), Lauren Josephson, Camille Muth, Zach Ostapchenko. When it comes to life or death, even the Grim Reaper has feelings.
- “Luggage” (9:14), Tanner Cipriano, John Salazar. Check your baggage at the barbed-wire fence.
- “Spark of Madness” (16:09), Anna Gonzalez. It’s OK to laugh at Notre Dame, especially if your student passion is stand-up comedy.
- “Ambiguous Encounter” (7:16), Liza Connor, Rose Biehl. Daydream or caffeine high? An afternoon escape to the local coffee shop.
- “Patrolling Sandy Hook” (19:36), Caroline Clark, Kelly Quinn. The mass murder of 20 children and six adults inside an elementary school is still hard for many to believe … and some choose not to.
- “Glitch” (8:05), Moira Hamilton, Maddie Landon. A video game controller loses control in this Tron-esque action adventure.
- “Platonica” (12:47), John Haley, Emily Dauer. A graduation party reunites Annie and Sam, and reignites a relationship that was much different when both were in college.
- “Revenge of the Fallen” (4:11), Wisdom Mak. There is no greater love than a student and her phone.
- “Anthony: Portrait of a Boxer” (9:51), Indi Jackson, Austin Burgett. One step short of the Olympics, boxer Anthony Sims Jr. returns to small-town Indiana.
- “Edison Brockwell” (9:55), Keenan Kelley, Drew Ronson, Frank Lanham. The secret life of the next-door neighbor.
- “No Presentation” (8:43), Eric Ways, John McDonough Is it a group presentation if only one guy shows up to class?
Screenings will be held at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 29 and 30 (Friday and Saturday) and at 7 p.m. Jan. 31 (Sunday). Running time is approximately 120 minutes. Some films contain mature content.
Tickets for the Notre Dame Student Film Festival are $7 for the general public, $6 for faculty and staff, $5 for seniors 65 and older and $4 for students. Tickets may be purchased online at performingarts.nd.edu, by phone at 574-631-2800, or in person at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center ticket office.
Notre Dame’s Department of Film, Television and Theatre offers both a scholarly and a creative context for the general liberal arts student at Notre Dame as well as those students seeking intensive preparation for advanced study in these fields. The hands-on nature of the curriculum, coupled with a high degree of student-faculty interaction, provides students with a singular educational opportunity at a university known for its teaching excellence. The Notre Dame Student Film Festival is a direct outgrowth of the department’s academic program and an integral component of students’ artistic development.
Contact: Stacey Stewart, Department of Film, Television and Theatre, 574-631-0457, stewart.109@nd.edu