Anderson University’s only red carpet event is returning to campus on April 27. The sixth annual Black Bird Film Festival is Anderson’s mix of an Oscars event and a Hollywood movie premier all in one.
The cinema and media arts majors at Anderson University will have the opportunity to share the work they have done throughout the school year.
“This year will be all current student films,” said Professor of Cinema and Media Arts Jack Lugar. “We have had alumni spotlights in the past, but this year will be all current student work.”
Some of the work that will be shown at the Film Festival will include documentaries, narrative short stories and some other work that students have done for sports teams or other groups across the campus.
Even though the films being played are considered “short films,” the time it takes to make them is anything but short. Junior cinema and media arts major Megan Smith who is directing a film for the festival explained how much work she has put into the project.
“If I put together from the first time I started writing the script through the last day of filming and editing, this film has taken about three and half to four months,” said Smith.
She did note that making a film of this kind is not a one person job. The cast and crew for Smith’s short film is made up of classmates and friends who are all students at Anderson. Smith spoke about her excitement of seeing the film on the big screen and sharing that excitement with all of the people who worked on it together.
Though the night is an amazing opportunity to dress nice and walk the red carpet, the cinema and media arts majors have something to aim for. Each film that is submitted to the Film Festival will be sent out to a group of Anderson cinema and media arts alumni to be judged and voted on to ensure there is no bias in the decision process. There are two types of awards that can be won during the evening: the “Squawkies” and the “Squeakies.”
Squawkies are the large category awards, such as best actress, best director and best cinematography. The Squeakies will be given out for only the second time in the Film Festivals existence. Squeakies are group awards for the team that wins categories such as best picture so everyone who worked on the film can be recognized.
In a previous interview with Andersonian alumni Jacey Crawford, Lugar told Crawford that “we don’t make art in a vacuum, our work is meant to be shared.”
Therefore, the major goal of the Black Bird Film Festival is to make sure that students in the arts majors have a way to share the art that they have created.
Every year, Lugar and the students strive to make the Film Festival better than the last. This year Lugar has promised a surprise ending for cinema and media arts students, raising the level of anticipation and excitement surrounding the event.
The event is free of charge for everyone, so make sure not to miss out. The doors of York Hall will open at 6:15 p.m. for the red carpet photo opportunities and the screening of the films will begin at 7:00 p.m.