Louisiana has become a rising star in the U.S. film industry, and now University student filmmakers are getting the chance to show everyone what they’re made of.
This Saturday, the LSU Department of Theatre will host the first Take 1 Film Festival at the Shaver Theatre. The festival will consist of 14 student films, the best of which will be awarded. The festival judges include John Hardy, a producer on “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Ocean’s Twelve,” and Jason Hewitt of Baton Rouge-based production company Films in Motion.
The judges will award Best Comedy/Musical, Best Drama, Best Documentary and Best Micro Short, while the audience will choose Best Film.
Assistant professor of film and television Joshua Overbay had the responsibility of putting much of the festival together, and said the value of having a festival to celebrate the work of students far outweighs the hard work of the process. He said having this festival solidifies the healthy growth of the University’s film program.
“Louisiana is arguably the second biggest film market in the U.S., and LSU being the flagship school means we should have a strong robust film program,” Overbay said.
Part of having a strong film program is having this festival, not only for the students’ benefit but for those in the Baton Rouge area. It gives the community an opportunity to see what our students are doing, which they wouldn’t otherwise see.
Overbay said representing the department well is important, but he is most excited to see his students’ work come to fruition on the big screen.
The festival gives students an opportunity to have their work displayed in front of a live audience, so they get to hear and see how people react, and get feedback.
Film and media arts junior Brandon Bruno, whose film “Heavy Eyes” is being featured at the festival, said there’s something special about showing his film on a big screen.
“We had a huge Indiegogo campaign, and there are people who really want to see it, so now’s their chance to watch it on a big screen, and this is probably the only chance they’ll have,” Bruno said.
Bruno said the University’s first film festival is important to him, and an opportunity he’ll always keep with him. Theatre junior Nicole Prunty echoed his sentiments and said having this festival will prepare University students for their chosen career paths.
“A film festival at LSU showcases the talent of our many brilliant young filmmakers who work hard every day to balance an academic career along with their filmmaking career,” Prunty said.
Two of Prunty’s films, “Goodbye” and “Holding Hope,” will be featured at the festival. Getting the chance to see how an audience would react to her material was an essential motivation in submitting her films, but her classmates also played a role in her participation.
Prunty said one of the main reasons she decided to participate in the film festival was because she wanted her and her classmates’ work to be seen and appreciated.
“There’s a lot of working that goes into making these short films,” Prunty said. “I didn’t know if my films would be selected, but I knew that no matter what happened, my friends and I did the best work we could do.”
The Take 1 Film Festival will take place Saturday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Shaver Theatre. Admission is $5 at the door.
You can reach Kayla Randall on Twitter @kay_ran21.