Filmmaking students from Southeast Missouri State University, area high schools and other institutions from across the Midwest will present their films and showcase their creative talent at Southeasts annual Fault Line Film Festival in November.
The main gala event is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 9, in Forrest H. Rose Theatre at Southeast.
The festival is open to any university or high school student, with an emphasis on schools in the Midwest. This year, the festival received 45 entries. Films were entered from students as far away as Massachusetts and Georgia.
The festival has grown into a regional festival that highlights student films from across the Midwest and beyond, said Fred Jones, professor of mass media at Southeast. Our purpose will always be to encourage and promote the work of student filmmakers.
The kickoff event for the festival will be a keynote address by Steph Scupham, Kansas City Film Commissioner, at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 7, in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus. Scupham helped establish the Kansas City Film Office in 2014 and currently serves as its commissioner. She has worked in the film and TV industry for 18 years, and serves as a board member of the Missouri Motion Media Association.
Steph has had an impressive career in film production, working with hundreds of high-profile projects, Jones said.
Each film submitted by students is entered into one of six categories: animation, comedy, drama, high school, mystery/suspense and other, which is for films that do not fall into one of the other categories. An award for best film is given within each category, as well as an award for Best of Festival. In addition, an award is given to a film that showcases outstanding technical achievement, and another is given to a film the audience deems worthy.The awards are $250 per category and the Best of Festival winner will receive a $1,000 prize.
The jury is made up of several visual media professionals and award-winning story-tellers, including Steve Turner, award-winning filmmaker and director of The Past is Never Dead; Bryan Schilligo, award-winning filmmaker and television producer with KFVS Creative Services; and Kyle Hinton, filmmaker and news/content specialist with KFVS.
Continuing with a tradition started last year, a screening of films created by students from Southeast and local high schools will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10, in Rose Theatre.
This is a great chance for family, friends and the community to see the work of filmmakers from our local region, Jones said
The Fault Line Film Festival is made possible by the generosity of several entities including this years sponsors, United Express and Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.
This festival will bring a diverse group of people together to celebrate the art of film.
Filmmaking gives students a voice and a chance to share the things that move them. The audience gets to share in that too, Jones said. Film festivals like Fault Line are a unique experience, because in one evening you become a part of so many different lives.
For more information, visit https://semo.edu/faultline/index.html.