USU film club to host festival
After months of work and dedication the members of the Utah State University Film Club will now have their chance to shine.
Wednesday Jan 19, is the second annual USU Film Club in which club members will have the chance to showcase the films they have been working on since last year’s event.
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the first film starting at 7. The first 1,500 attendees will receive a ballot to take part in selecting the People’s Choice Award winner.
Films in the show are separated into two categories, open and themed. The theme for the competition, clubs and origanization, was announced in October with the final deadline of Dec 1. The films were limited to 10 minutes in length and were required to relate to the theme with topic ranging from clubs here on campus to the Masonic Order.
“It’s pretty amazing what people were able to accomplish,” USU film club president Morgan Yost, a senior majoring in pre-med biology, said.
The films presented from the themed category will range from documentaries to comedies.
Movies in the open category can be any length and about any topic. Any film completed since last year’s festival was eligible.
Two films, “Workplace Violence” by Tyler Atkinson and James Crawley along with Courtney Western’s “A Private Investigation.”
In all eight films, selected from 13 total applications by the judging panel, will be presented and compete for 17 different awards with prizes totaling over $1,500 at stake.
Prizes were donated by 40 different area businesses and will be presented by USU basketball players and other local celebrities.
With the exception of the People’s Choice Award, winners will be chosen by the panel of five volunteer judges including Murry Triplet, the president of the Wasatch Film Group and Catherine Dawson a professional script doctor and member of the Screen Actor’s Guide.
No admission is required but attendees are encouraged to bring one can of food which the film club will then donate to the local food banks.
This year’s festival is expected to bring in more than 2,000 movie viewers, a large increase over last year’s 300. Half of those expected will be attending for class with the other 1,000 coming just because they love movies.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” festival organizer and club member Tyler Atkinson a junior majoring in marketing and economics said. “It will be huge.”
The USU Film Club was founded last year and has grown rapidly. The group currently has more than a 100 active members and is involved in campus activities. They have helped film fashion shows, rugby games and are currently involved with helping other groups on campus.
-steveshinney@cc.usu.edu