Rocket Cinema: Festival of New Student Works

By: Brandon Navarro Garcia

Anthony Nassar

TOLEDO, OHIO - The Student Film Festival is back this semester, fueling creativity on campus. This year’s selection of films excites me, as I went last year and had good experiences because of the potential I saw in the films. I walked into the center of performing arts last year, expecting a hodgepodge of films submitted, but no, I got handpicked films curated by the faculty.

There were a handful of films that I watched and enjoyed, one of them being Connections by William Gibbs-Heard. I went by myself and was impressed by the overall abstract nature of it; the colors and movement were dream-like with a rhythm to it. It was fascinating to watch and see these forms and shapes come and go, and it was also something you could watch repeatedly and not get bored with. Will’s films, “Connections” and “It Won't Take Much Longer” by Mike Budich. This film caught my attention the most because it reminded me of David Lynch’s Inland Empire. I say this comparison because I have seen both, and I have gotten similar feelings while watching them. It was that sense of uneasiness when you are in a place that feels familiar, but everything is not as it seems. The familiar seems strange, and you are lost in your surroundings. Budich’s film left me feeling lost and unfamiliar with my surroundings, as it turns some familiar UToledo hallways into an industrial hellscape. The film shows reality losing its grip, and all seems unfamiliar when it comes to the mundane, mute yellow hallways and the fluorescent lights we have grown accustomed to. These students have studied a medium that is as elusive as it is fascinating.

This is why critics speak so highly of certain films, because they believe that there is potential to be moved by moving images. Cinema is a powerful medium for expression as it can overstimulate us with images and sounds that seem all too realistic. I was saddened by the fact that I would have to wait to see what the program is bringing us here in Toledo. I wanted to see what they had in store.

The Theatre and Film department’s Festival of New Student Works is back from February 6-7 from 7-9 PM. This festival will include works from students at all levels in the theater and film program. After seeing posters around for this event, I knew I had to save the date for it.

With the excitement already brewing inside. I went ahead and asked around to see what would be on the lineup for this year’s festival. There will be a good mix between animation and live action due to the classes available in the program, a showcase that will screen a diverse set of films. This is being hosted by the faculty in the department, like Tammy Kinsey. She, alongside some of the faculty, pushes their films in the classes they teach. They discuss it, and they develop a sort of synergy that flows in the order they come in. Those sorts of things that take plenty of time, and “...it kind of builds itself.”

Watching each film carefully is important as the faculty wants to represent as much as possible when it comes to what the program has to offer. The reason why it is called the “New Student Showcase” is to showcase some of the genuine creativity involved when making these films.

A lot of the films being screened are from classes like digital cinema production and creative approaches to cinema. Submissions were made by students who are majoring or minoring in the film and video program. I asked Tammy Kinsey if the students responded well to this criticism, as most students dislike that type of confrontation when it comes to their work.  

She said that “...it was a great way to build confidence. It is there to show them how to approach criticism from an audience.”

This festival is perfect for the film program because the students get to experience what criticism from the audience is like. Showcasing it in a festival and a gallery.  

Speaking of the gallery, they will keep the gallery showcase when it comes around early

March or mid-March. They will also showcase some of these films at the South Gallery Space in Carlson Library.

The faculty is promoting this festival because it is a free show for students. However, you would still need to get those free tickets online. They are excited to have students come and see the film. Especially to come support our fellow students here as they create what is their interpretation of the medium of cinema.

The film festival is an opportunity to have entertainment here on campus for free. So why not show up to it? It has been going on for about 30 years in different formats, so why not go?  

They have a variety of films to be screened. Maybe one of these films will impact you through its powerful medium of expression.