Chattanooga State kicks off a new film festival
There hasn’t been a true student film festival in Chattanooga in a while. In times past, the Broad Street Film Festival was the place to find student films from local colleges and high schools, but the festival all but vanished in recent years, perhaps due to lack of funds, or lack of participation, or even lack of leadership.
It’s a shame, really.
Student film is key to encouraging a strong local film scene in Chattanooga. Every filmmaker working now was once a student. Maybe not officially. Not every filmmaker enrolls in a post-secondary program. But all study what has come before, from watching films, from experimenting with rented equipment, from practicing the art of visual storytelling over and over.
Project based learning is the current trend in education. It’s something of a buzzword dropped when discussing STEM education, a curious piece of jargon easier described by what it’s not than what it is. In short, project based learning occurs through student led ventures, guided by teachers, with a definitive end product meant to be displayed and judged publically.
There might not be a better example than filmmaking. Filmmaking can cover every subject through writing, storyboarding, producing, directing, acting, etc. Students need a place to show their work, to receive feedback, and to bask in the glow of having created something that belongs to them. The Broad Street Film Festival provided that venue.
Now that it appears to be defunct, Chattanooga State is picking up the slack with the first annual Chattanooga State Film Festival.
The Chatt State Film Festival is free and will take place from March 29-31. The festival will feature films from any high school and college within a 50 mile radius.
According to the festival event page, the Chatt State Film Festival will include “hands-on workshops taught by community and industry leaders, Friday night’s featured speaker (TBA), numerous film screenings (including an International Film Series screening of Spirited Away, catered with food from Fuji restaurant).”
But the purpose of the festival is, as always “giving high school and college students the opportunity to have their works judged by professionals, screened before the community, and possibly receive awards.”
The festival has accepted entries in a variety of categories, from both feature length and short narrative films to feature length and short documentaries. Awards will be given for each, as well as special awards for best filmmaker under the age of 18 and a Chattanooga State Honor Award for current Chattanooga State students.
Chris Willis, professor at Chattanooga State in the Professional Film and Television Training Program, gave me an advance copy of a film to be screened at the festival.
Written and produced by Willis and directed by student Kyle Orr, Follow is a twenty-five minute short that focuses protests surrounding an offensive and loud street preacher at a local college.
Most of us have encountered these either on campus or outside a concert venue or event. I once encountered one on a shiny red bike outside the Majestic 12, who quietly and sternly instructed me not to be a Democrat lest I risk my eternal soul. The goal of the film is create sympathy and understanding for these street corner evangelists, pointing to the message rather than the messenger.
As with a lot of student films, the message takes precedence over the story, making the film heavy-handed but honest. Also present are some strangely framed shots—Indicative of the learning process the students are experiencing and their willingness to experiment. But what’s more important is that the film shows the process and a completed product. The learning is evident right on screen.
As a former judge for the Broad Street Film Festival, I can assure you there will be a lot of variety among the films, but a lot of similarities too. Christian colleges like Bryan or Covenant always seem to approach their films by presenting themes of redemption. Chatt State might have a few amusing horror films or dramas. Acting can be spotty, but no more than local theater. Everyone involved is learning and getting better.
Regardless, the Chatt State Film Festival is a necessary part of the film scene in Chattanooga. Support local film.