F&MAD Fest Showcases Handpicked Student Films on the Big Screen
By Molly Powers, marketing and communications specialist, College of Fine Arts
The Department of Film & Media Arts will present the eighth annual F&MAD Film Festival, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, at the iconic Tower Theatre in the 9th and 9th district. The festival showcases a juried selection of film and media arts projects from undergraduate and graduate film students at the U. Audience members will be treated to a vibrant festival atmosphere and a collection of the best films of the 2017-2018 academic year, featuring a range of short films in genres like experimental, documentary, narrative, animated, screendance and beyond.
Student film submissions were anonymously screened by a jury who cast the deciding votes on which films would make it to the big screen at the Tower. Sixteen short films made the cut this year, including “Tea Time,” a short horror film by F&MAD students Taylor Mott and Lorena Mendoza. Showing their film in a historic theatre like the Tower adds an extra layer of excitement for the filmmakers. “It feels like the U’s version of the Walk of Fame,” said Mott. “Tell ma I’ve made it!”
“Tea Time,” which will be the final film screened at the festival, was created as a project for an animation course. “’Tea Time’ was shot for Steven Pecchia-Bekkum’s Traditional Animation II class. He is so flexible and encouraging of ideas. There were also many faculty members that got to see this film right off the roll and either gave us feedback or general excitement and support,” said Mott. “The positive reception that our mentors showed was really important us.”
For student filmmakers, F&MAD Fest is an opportunity to show off their hard work among a community of film-lovers, and to compete for the coveted title of “Best of Fest.” After the final film has screened, audience members will have a chance to cast their vote for their favorite, and a new “Best of Fest” winner will be announced. Last year’s winning film was “Camminatore” by grad student Angela Rosales Challis. Since F&MAD 2017, the film has been shown at more than 15 festivals around the world, including in Greece, Scotland, Argentina and Bolivia, as well as on campus at the 2017 College of Fine Arts Distinguished Alumni Ceremony.
Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy handpicked student films from the 2017-2018 academic year and to help decide which film will be Best of Fest 2018.