Students will have a chance to prove their filming expertise and creativity by submitting their creations to the Black Warrior Film Festival. The event will showcase short films, music videos, commercials and other video submissions of UA students.
The newly created festival is a collaboration between the Student Producers Association, Creative Campus, Crimson Cinema Productions and the UA Department of Telecommunication and Film.
“[The festival] was conceived from a mutual love and drive to have the passions and talents of UA students really recognized for their sheer excellence and give them an avenue to truly share their voice,” Harrison Defalco, Crimson Cinema’s president and a sophomore majoring in telecommunication and film, said.
Films must meet two set criteria: A UA student must have played a key role in the production of the film and have been made within the last five years. However, Defalco explains more will be needed to earn a spot in the festival showings.
“[Selection] is based on whether there was effort and thought really put into the work, and we are choosing the films that really capture the spirit and talent of all our students,” he said.
The festival has taken a page from the book of famous film events, said Danny Ryan, Creative Campus’s project leader for the event and sophomore majoring in telecommunications and film. Aside from marketing, one of his major roles is the organization of the festival.
“I went to Sundance Film Festival this year,” he said. “This helped me familiarize myself with festival organization and really inspired me to work on the event.”
(See also “An Inside Look at Campus MovieFest [Video]”)
Ryan participated in a TCF class that attended Sundance, and the festival’s influences can be seen in the BWFF. In addition to featuring screenings, BWFF will also boast filmmaker Q&A’s, panels and guest speakers. The speakers will be addressing subjects such as working with actors and various camera techniques. Attendees can also anticipate camera workshops.
Defalco is especially excited about one workshop in general.
“[I’m] not sure if this is a spoiler or not, but one of them is working with a Red Camera,” he said. “And for those who don’t know what that means or why I am freaking out just thinking about it, that’s the same camera that was used to film ‘The Hobbit.’”
He added, “It is a kind of ‘dope’ as they say.”
The name of the festival is also something the organizers were excited about. Rachel Raimist and Adam Schwartz, both assistant professors in the TCF department, agreed the name “Black Warrior Film Festival” was chosen because of its inclusive nature.
“In an organizing meeting attended by 15 members and two faculty representing TCF, SPA, CCP and Creative Campus, we brainstormed titles,” Raimist said. “[The Black Warrior Film Festival] was proposed because it is a name that represents this place – UA and Tuscaloosa.”
Plans for the future of the festival have also been made.
“While this first year will serve as a showcase of UA student work, it’s our goal to grow and expand the festival to include submissions from around the region and hopefully the country,” Schwartz said.
The film festival will be held in Reese Phifer on April 13. There is no limit of submissions per student, but all films must be submitted by Feb. 22 to creativecampus.ua.edu/project/bwfilmfest.
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