On Feb. 29, the Associated Students Program Board (ASPB) presented Film Fest, an event that showcased six works of fellow University of California, Riverside (UCR) student filmmakers where the top three student films would win awards. The competition was judged by professor of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production (TFDP) Dr. Bella Merlin, a regular director for TFDP productions and acting teacher, alongside Dr. Stuart Krieger, who wrote the animated classic “The Land Before Time” for producers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas and is a professor of screen and television writing for TDFP. The prizes featured a bronze, silver and gold Scotty for third, second and first place winners respectively. Each awardee was also given a unique prize such as the third place awardee winning a director’s slate, the second place awardee winning a projector and the first place awardee winning $200.
Line
The line formed at around 5:45 p.m. and at approximately 6:25 p.m. tickets that would be turned in for merchandise were handed out, ensuring that there was a clear expectation of who would be able to get merchandise even before the start of the event. A bit before 7:00 p.m., ASPB would let it in the line, swiftly directing students to the frontmost seats to fill in as much space as possible.
Amenities
Before the show started, entrants were able to help themselves to several foods and beverages from different stations. The main station had a variety of desserts that included cheesecake bites, brownies, chocolate-chip cookies, madeleine and palmier cookies. It also included a beverage section that sported apple cider, hot chocolate and mini water bottles. Another inclusion was a Rockstar drink station that featured a variety of Rockstar flavors students could help themselves to.
Films
Summer Hussain’s first film, “I’m Not In Love” was the first to be played. The short movie explored her main character trying to get over not only a creative block as an artist but also heartbreak, which was inspired by Hussain’s experience with her own creative block. As Hussain’s character finds himself overcoming a breakup he rises to the task of creating a new painting (perhaps with a blank canvas symbolizing a fresh start), the viewing experience is profoundly cathartic. It is unfortunate, though, that there were technical difficulties with the playing of the film as the video was zoomed in, so it had to be played once more properly.
The next showcased film was Liz Waddleton’s “Modern Romance.” Inspired by a love for horror, her film reflects the comedic terror that comes with contemporary dating. Gaining many laughs and eliciting reactions from the audience as her character faces a snowballing series of terrible dates, the film was strong on many levels, which included great cinematography with color-popping shots. It felt like a very polished viewing experience, despite an unfortunately quiet audio. A fun fact about the film was that its last shot of her character getting proposed to looked so realistic that a passerby jogger thought it was real and congratulated the fake couple.
Following Waddleton was Jaymee Martinez-Romero’s film “En El Mercado.” Her short film focused on the college experience of finding independence, but also connecting back to your roots — a tension that many can relate to. How “En El Mercado” turned a seemingly mundane idea of a shopping trip into a sentimental piece that was diabetically sweet is nothing short of impressive, especially considering how the piece could resonate with many of the students in the audience. Martinez-Romero also left audiences with a wholesome sentiment, stating that you can find community anywhere and she found hers in UCR.
The fourth short movie to be showcased was Valentina Munoz’s “The Blue Bloom.” Munoz would cite how the film was inspired by an emotional moment she faced in December and her determination to turn that sad moment into a great one to hopefully inspire people to be happy despite the difficulties of life. With much symbolism behind many elements of her movie, like the old-timey background music, the prevalence of the color blue and flower imagery, the film is a deep viewing experience.
Following “The Blue Bloom” was Justin Takiguchi’s “Pay Back” which he described to be a story about the main character trying to break into someone’s house with ambiguous intentions. Amped up by the rock music (made by the filmmaker himself), “Pay Back” captured the joy of films. Under the guise of a serious action movie, Takiguchi plays with subversion and goofiness and produces an incredibly fun film that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Lastly, Daniel Herrera’s “SURRENDER” caps off the night as the last short film. Herrera would summarize his movie as a stalker attempting to go on a date, unsure of what he wants from it. His film was uniquely styled, feeling like a slide show that used still frames and accompanied music. This aesthetic lent to an intensely suspenseful and rivetingly visceral viewing experience. Herrera would also cite how he focused on delivering subtle facial expressions that would allude to the stalker’s creepiness and how creating the film had him thinking the way a stalker would.
Results
1st Place: Liz Waddleton’s “Modern Romance.”
2nd Place: Jaymee Martinez-Romero’s “En El Mercado.”
3rd Place: Valentina Munoz’s “The Blue Bloom”
