Author: Martha Carol
The 2010 Occidental College Student Film Festival brought laughter in celebration of anthropomorphized pennies and croquet balls, silence in awe of social injustices and physical strife, and giggling at naughty, college student jokes. Over 150 curious students gathered in Johnson 200 this past Thursday for the evening showings of the 13 selected films.
The two-hour presentation of student-produced films delivered stories far beyond the Occidental campus while simultaneously bringing issues from our very own campus to the fore. Two of the more salient social queries were imported from filmmakers’ travels abroad. But between accounts of domestic injustice and loss of culture, a majority of the films stuck to a lighter portrayal of the human experience, even going beyond light humor into the politically incorrect.
The contradiction within the film festival – between the tossing about of chauvinistic humor and the emphasis on the seriousness of social injustice – showed two very different sides of the college. Several of the films featured jokes objectifying women. Although the jokes may have been questionable, most were made at the expense of the objectifiers in question. Contrarily, another good portion of the films focused on social issues and maintained a foundation of political correctness. Coming from a school where liberalism and valuing of humor reigns, the films were an accurate sampling of this duality within the student mindset.
The film that claimed first prize – a copy of “Final Draft” screenwriting software and gift certificates to local eateries and theaters – dealt with neither such topics. As per last year’s festival, the judges – art history/visual arts (AHVA) Professors Gabor Kalman, Paul Reinsch, Pablo Frasconi and digital production manager Kjell Hilding – looked to a more innocent comedic piece for the highest quality of story, subject matter, variety of film and intricacy of visuals.
A comedy much like Blue Sky Studio’s “Gone Nutty” and “No Time For Nuts,” Zak Stoltz’s (senior) “In Frame” depicts a young man in combat with a temperamental camera frame. Actor Jonny Rodgers (junior) fights his way through the Occidental campus, bound by the encroaching blackness of the edge of the screen. Supplemented by a cute premise, well-maneuvered special effects and captivating cartoonish vocals, “In Frame” is perhaps the descendent of traditional slapstick comedies. In the face of personal detriment, the protagonist of Stoltz’s film, similar to his comedic predecessors, responds with exaggerated ruckus and harumphing.
Complete with smacked heads, stubbed toes, befuddled egos and a couple of prosaic stoners, the film is a charming comedic short, perhaps even more original than the typical Oxy film. After so many college love stories, sexual puns at the expense of a woman or two or meaningful documentaries, watching a sympathetic character bumble around to the clash and clatter of a nameless, lifeless opponent is delightful. As the winning films of the past few years have done, the film held a distinct lightness of mood and presented humor for humor’s sake.
Second place was awarded to a filmmaker whose inquiry into the assimilation of her cultural relations depicted a compelling story. “Armentsi” follows Anahid Yahjian (junior) in her search for understanding as her family and fellow Armenians assimilate away from their cultural origins. The filmmaker’s genuine bewilderment at the abandonment of a culture she holds so dearly gives the film an edge above the common documentary of privileged students documenting social discrimination.
Elizabeth Hodgman (senior) claimed third prize through her depiction of the classic story of a young artist coming to Los Angeles to be found by the music industry titled, “Making a Living at It.” Hodgman follows acoustic musician Eric Kufs to his weekly performances on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. In the film, Kufs’ humble, charming, boho attitude is best exemplified when he says, “I get up at the crack of noon and decide what t-shirt I am going to wear.” Hodgman’s documentary is a well-shot insight into the process of trying to break into the music industry.While the winning films were all-around well done, the most interesting topic of the night was mentioned early in the evening in Julia Bleckner’s (senior) “The Perfect Woman.” Bleckner’s series of recorded interviews explores what it means to be the ideal woman in Indian society. These interviews brought to light the cultural existence of women in India that can seem so distant from the culture of the United States.
The most intriguing facet of the film was its discussion of skin whitening practices, specifically the cosmetic product Fair and Lovely Cream. This synthetic manipulation of skin tone and racial identity provokes questions of racism. The practice of skin lightening left the audience questioning whether this is any more controversial than the darkening of skin with tanning lotion or in tanning salons. However, the film did not mention that such products are entering men’s cosmetics as well. The answers given by the Indian women were insightful and even disheartening. However, the film did not have a strong enough focus and flow to reach its full potential as a documentary.
A stressful portrayal of one woman’s workout, the humorous collapse of a movie set and a lovely, clever, romantic piece entitled “Wallet Love,” among others, were also screened. Although not award-winning, the remainder of the films elicited many laughs and provided intriguing narratives. The 8th Annual Film Festival scored high merits for the AHVA department and student filmmakers.
The AHVA department will be showing more student -produced, -directed and -acted films with the presentation of senior film comps on Friday, April 9 in Thorne Hall. Refreshments will be served at 7:00 p.m. with the films to follow at 8:00 p.m.
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