by Cecilia López
There is only one week until you can walk the red carpet at Anderson University’s 8th annual Black Bird Film Festival. The premier showcases the projects of the university’s filmmakers in York Performance Hall. Students, faculty, staff and members of the community are invited to experience the red carpet, support the artist and attend the award show presented by Black Bird Film Academy.
“It’s a piece of Hollywood in Anderson,” said Professor of cinema and media arts, Jack Lugar. “You walk onto a red carpet, you see the premiere and you’re the first ones to see these projects. You are in the presence of the people that created it.”
Cinema and media arts majors have spent hours curating and honing their craft. The festival provides an opportunity for these never-before-seen projects to make their debut on the big screen. Audiences get to watch the final product that is written, scheduled, shot and edited over several months.
It’s events such as this that help our Anderson University community stay connected, Lugar said, “I think it’s also a great way to encourage fellow students. Just like students in my program go to athletic events or theater events, this is the cinema and media arts event.”
Lugar founded the festival in 2017 for the university’s field and post-production class to be able to present their projects to a live audience. He made a huge push that year for cinema students to collaborate with theater students who wanted to act on camera. After their hard work, they were able to commemorate the experience with the first-annual Black Bird Film Festival.
Lugar reflected on the memory, “It was a great experience to have our students see their projects on the big screen, which is what you should do with a film. To see it displayed in this big, grand manner, with this audience who is responding, you’re hearing them gasp and laugh and cry– and so that was a powerful experience.”
The festival has expanded and become a featured event of Anderson University’s spring semester. Creatives have been feverous in developing their short films which are then submitted for the Black Bird Film Academy to vote on. Lugar anticipates a variety of films included this year such as sitcoms, documentaries, narratives and animation.
“I created the Blackbird Film Academy two years ago to keep a connection with our alumni. And I was already asking certain ones to help judge,” said Lugar. “So the more [people] I think we can have voting the better we can get a good vote. The first couple of years, I was involved in voting and trying to gather a few people. And I want to keep myself out of that if I can.”
Members of the Black Bird Academy include cinema and media arts alumni who have gone on to produce, direct, and edit in Hollywood. Lugar explained that the academy is steadily growing and has reached a point where he can take a step back from contributing to the voting process. Members watch films, vote and articulate feedback that will then be passed on to those involved in each film.
In 2024 the audience will see the return of the highly anticipated “Squawkies” and “Squeakies.” The awards are given out to the winners of film categories. “Squawkies” are primarily given for best actor, best actress, best director and best cinematography. The “Squeakies” are for recognizing categories such as best picture to honor all those who were involved in the film’s development.
Developments to the festival started simply, by adding a red carpet or upgrading the style of awards. However, in 2020 the festival was hosted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This prompted Lugar to film and produce an opening sketch for the film festival. The sketch has since become a tradition and something attendees have to look forward to.
The Black Bird Film Festival is an evening that provides a platform to cinema students and allows them to take a seat in the spotlight. This year’s premier will be held on April 24th in York Performance Hall. The show begins at 7 p.m. with a red carpet at 6:15 p.m. The night will be its very own piece of Hollywood at Anderson University.