In case you haven’t heard of this wonderful (and free) 2 day event, Lightworks is the biannual film fest that showcases student films made through the Screen Arts and Cultures (SAC) department.
That being said, the norm for student film fests goes something like: most films are not immaculate, and the quality can range from good to pretty awful. Fortunately for us, U of M students consistently churn out films that are at worst watchable, and at best better than many Hollywood films (that means you, Mike Bay).
You can’t have a film event without popcorn, and the hosting Film and Video Student Association (FVSA) was happy to oblige. I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only was the popcorn free, but it had just the right amount of flavoring to enjoy the array of films in the Natural Science Auditorium.
This year was Nicolas Cage themed, with his image, quotes, and movies in every nook and cranny. I thought it was a step in the right direction, as it provided comic relief to the festival and helped group the films into categories roughly based on the titles of Cage films.
Last semester was a particular good stretch of Lightworks films and this semester was able to keep up the pace. I was extremely happy to see that a couple of the 300 level films (intermediate production level) were able to keep up with the higher level films. In fact one of them, Jessie Micallef’s “Between the Lines” was runner-up for best drama.
Furthermore, the independent projects truly showcased what students can do with autonomy. The winner for best drama, and my personal favorite of the festival, was Anthony Khalil’s “Old Stones.” A fictional tale about a son trying to win his father’s favor by playing shuffleboard at a retirement home, it was quirky enough to be a fresh take on the banal sports film genre.
I think the best part about “Old Stones” however, was that it never tried to be some esoteric analysis of the human condition. Unlike a lot of the upper-level projects, “Old Stones” didn’t attempt to go unnecessarily deep in the father-son relationship, nor did it waste time exploring the lead character’s fall from grace as an Olympic curler. Oh, and did I mention the gorgeous color throughout the film? Check it out.
“Cold Cut Comedy Shorts” was basically a live-action Robot Chicken. It was a delightfully incomprehensible collection of random shorts that drew laughs from the audience. The only fault with this project is that, like Robot Chicken, I was left wanting more.
Below is the list of winners from the festival. I recommend the winners from each category. However, one that didn’t even make it onto the list was Brian Collins’ horror flick “Closet,” which I was shocked to see did not even make honorable mention.
Ligthworks Winners
Drama: Old Stones, Anthony Khalil
Runner-Up: Between the Lines, Jessie Micallef
Honorable Mention: Nonna, Sam Gioia
Comedy: Cold Cuts Comedy Shorts, Joe Biglin
Runner-Up: You Can’t Sit With Us, Emily Browning & Jamie Dean
Honorable Mention: A Little Time Away, David Olonoff
Experimental: Easy, Alex Holmes
Runner-Up: The Golden Apple, Andrea Rivera
Honorable Mention: Time Space, Yunzhi Ou
Alternative Narrative: I’m a Wicked Child, Jingru Yang
Runner-Up: Pace of Life, Yihong Chen
Honorable Mention: A Flower to Pick, Jeremy Borison
Animation: Little People, James Reslier-Wells
Runner-Up: Living on the Earth, Layne Austin Simescu
Honorable Mention: Copy Cat, Sam Barnett
Documentary: Cooley Reuse Project Teaser, Jennifer Larson
Runner-Up: SALT, Phillip Wachowiak
Mary Lou Honorable Mention: Unsocial Media, Al Smith
Feroz Honorable Mention: Meta, Charlotte Lichtman
Josh Honorable Mention: Candy Ball, Yunzhi Ou
The Lightworks Festival is a showcase of Screen Arts & Cultures’ student films. Presented by SAC’s student organization FVSA (Film and Video Student Association), the Lightworks Festival is the venue for students to present their end-of-the-year production coursework to classmates, family, and friends of Screen Arts.
