Staff Writer- Cora Hess
As the last month of the school year settles in, students have prepared their short films for the only film festival that is hosted by and for Gustavus students. This year will mark the second year of the Film Festival on The Hill and it will be held at 7:00 p.m. on April 14th in Wallenberg Auditorium.
Students submitted their short films by April 7th and now wait to see if theirs will be chosen for the screening next week. There will be a cash prize of $100 for the Best Picture winner of the night. Junior Nick Schweizer is in charge of leading the event this year.
“I’m really excited to give Gustavus students the opportunity to show off their work. We have a lot of ways to celebrate other forms of creativity, like Firethorne for writers and artists and recitals for musicians, but this is a great way for film students to be able to get their stuff out there. Their hard work deserves to be recognized too,” Schweizer shared.
Associate Professor in English and the program director for the Film and Media
Studies Program, Sean Cobb, is excited to see this event continue another year.
“Nick is a fantastic student, organizer, and filmmaker, so he is working hard to re-establish the Film Festival on The Hill and ensure that we have a solid foundation for future events,” Cobb shared.
One of the big reasons that Schweizer wanted to bring this event back after it missed a year was because of the talents that he saw the first time the event was held.
“My first year, I attended Film Fest because my now roommate, Julia Anderson, submitted a film we co-wrote and I acted in. It was so inspiring to see the talents of Gusties that have worked hard to perfect their craft and tell unique stories in a medium that has gone underappreciated on-campus. I wanted to bring that opportunity back by restarting Film Fest on The Hill,” Schweizer exclaimed.
Junior Julia Anderson, who submitted a short film two years ago, is submitting another one this year. Anderson shared their favorite part of the film festival.
“I love seeing the creativity of everybody who has decided to submit their work,” Anderson expressed.
A big thing that the operators of this event want to promote is that everyone is welcome to attend, even if they didn’t submit a piece to the festival. This event will be very relaxed and all you have to do is show up and be ready to watch some creative films.
“So students who have made films for classes, or who have made films on their own can submit and share their work with the rest of the Gustavus community. But you don’t have to be a filmmaker to attend. Bring all your friends and family,” Professor Cobb explained.
Even though students have made lots of films on their own time or for classes, this event is the only one at Gustavus that is made to showcase those films to others in the community.
“If anyone plans on attending the event, they can expect to watch some amazing short films made by Gustavus students, which are all under 20 minutes. They can also expect to hear the winner of Best Picture, as well as the speech made by the winner (should they be present),” Schweizer shared.
Despite the last time doing this event being a success, this year, Cobb is excited that he has Schweizer in his corner leading the event.
“Nick is hosting a much more organized and well-advertised event, with social media outreach, and it is already paying dividends with an uptick in submissions this year,” Cobb remarked.
Through lots of activities, majors, and minors at Gustavus, film is beginning to become a wider known major/minor and an activity that people enjoy doing in their free time.
“You should absolutely check it out! Film isn’t a huge thing at Gustavus, but it’s becoming a bigger thing year-by-year and it would be great to support those who want to make it happen. It’s also, as I said, a great way to check out the creativity of the filmmakers. For those that are just coming without submitting their work: we are very happy to have you and greatly appreciate the support,” Anderson exclaimed.
There is something special about the Gustavus community coming together to watch students put their films out into the world. It will be an experience that will strengthen communities and relationships.
“It’s a good opportunity to meet other students and discover some of the visual storytelling happening on campus. You can find out more about the Film and Media Studies minor and meet our awesome film students,” Cobb shared.
This will be an incredible showcase full of talent and community. It is a celebration of hard work and creativity.
“If someone is considering attending Film Fest, they totally should! I think it’ll be a really fun night of celebration, community, and storytelling, and isn’t that what makes the arts so special,” Schweizer exclaimed.