Six Student Films Shown at Film Festival Lee recently hosted its 12th annual Film Festival, a time for students to screen and present their short films to an audience of students, faculty, and community guests. Six films were selected for the festival. "The Film Festival is always the big event for LeeU cinema, and this year's was a great one," said Matthew Fisher, associate professor of communication at Lee and festival judge. "The eclectic mix of high-quality films showcased the creativity, professionalism, and collaboration of our cinema students." "Heartbreak Magic," written and directed by Lee alum Colleen Hutchinson and produced by Taylor Oaks and Jacob Opperman, won the Faculty Choice Award. The Faculty Choice Award is given by Communication Arts faculty and staff as a recognition to the film that exhibits highest excellence in collaboration, creativity, and storytelling. "What makes the LeeU Film Festival worth looking forward to is all of the talented, inspiring young filmmakers working overtime to make it a reality," said Oaks, a senior cinema major at Lee. "Each semester, I've seen the cinema program grow exponentially, and this year, I think they've really outdone themselves - from graduating seniors to first-semester freshmen, I'm honored to call them my peers." "Lakota Lake Inn," written and directed by Joe Mercer and Jayce Lewis, won the Audience Choice Award, which is given to the film that receives the most votes from the audience. Other films accepted and screened were "The Bus Stop," written and directed by Merritt Jenkins and produced by Lindsey Glass; "Strange," written and directed by Lauren Lacar; "Beat It," written and directed by Ankit Reddi; and "Going Gray," winner of this year's 48-hour Film Friendsy, written and directed by Victory Giet. Students were invited to submit any film they had produced from April 2021 to April 2022. Each of the submitted films were screened by a panel of faculty judges, who decided which made it into the Film Festival. The festival was hosted by Lee's improv team Shenanigans. After the screenings, there was a Q&A session during which the directors went on stage to speak about their film and answer questions. A reception and red carpet followed. For more information about Lee's cinema program, visit www.leeucinema.com.
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