April 23 will mark the tenth anniversary of the annual Film Festival. Houghton students have the opportunity to put together films, present them to an audience, and be judged and awarded accordingly.
The Film Festival is hosted each year by the Campus Activities Board (CAB), with the current director Brittany Hark ‘16 coordinating the event. “Each CAB person has their individual events- this is my event,” she said. Hark became involved with the festival as a first year CAB member and grew to love it, continuing to be involved with it even during her junior year when she was not officially a part of CAB. “I’m the tech go-to, and it’s a pretty tech heavy event.” she explained. Her involvement with the event is “really exciting” as it coincides with the festival’s tenth anniversary.
To mark the occasion of the anniversary, alumni who first created the event will be returning Houghton to discuss the creation and intentions of the Film Fest when it first began.“It will show how the Film Festival has grown and changed,” Hark said. She noted the development of the event into “a more prestigious event, drawing people from outside of Houghton.”
This is reflected in the changes in the judging process, which will take place both online and will involve several judges beyond the borders of Houghton. Among them is a New York City individual without ties to Houghton, someone from India, and several Houghton alumni involved in the film industry. Responses to these changes have been largely positive. Hark said, “The only negative feedback of switching the judging process is that there is less dialogue between judges.” However, she and others involved are working to incorporate the element of dialogue into the new judging process, with opportunities for more credible judges become possible.
Additional changes include the addition of new categories. These categories include the artistic showcase music video, and thirty second categories. Hark said with the creation of the thirty second category, “We are hoping that people who are tight on time or don’t feel like they can put on a big video feel more comfortable.” This intention aligns with the overarching desire to expand the film festival, whether through judges of distant connection or a broader base of video submissions.
Hark is looking forward to the film festival as a chance to recognize the efforts and artistic capacities of Houghton students. She noted that while the majority of video submissions come from communication majors who have taken film classes, there are many submissions from other majors as well. “It’s cool to see just how talented students are, especially if it’s not their major,” she said. Thus while the tenth anniversary film festival looks to see what has changed, grown, and improved, its original intent in showcasing the talent of Houghton residents is maintained.