No matter how accomplished they may be, there is no denying that student films can be indulgent.
Most, if animate, would take the weight of the world on their shoulders and lie
awake at night pondering whether to sustain forever its crushing tonnage, or to
heave it off in what might possibly be a last, dying breath. But it is the
freedom of this state of contemplation that makes student work so important.
For a filmmaker, it characterizes a period unlikely to be visited again, at
least with so unbridled an innocence. For the audience, student films are the
chance to see where we're coming from and where we're going; from what roots
will grow the next Martin Scorsese or Gus Van Sant, and from what ethos and
timely inspiration these artists draw. With the intention of taking this
experience beyond the classroom, students at the University of Texas have
organized a festival of student films dubbed CinemaTexas, which will run on
campus from Thursday, September 26-Sunday, September 29. And with an ambitious
schedule encompassing three programs of films -- a competitive program of 40 UT
student works, the highly acclaimed traveling international University Film and
Video Association's (UFVA) Student Film and Video Festival, and a retrospective
of past UT award winners -- not to mention a panel discussion on festivals and
distribution, and a rare 35mm screening of the Russian documentary
I Am
Cuba, the festival promises something for everyone with a film fetish.
The UFVA exhibition consists of works judged from a pool of 600 entries from
over 20 countries, representing 200 film schools, that will make 14 stops
across the U.S. (Austin is its second) on this year's trip. I had a chance to
preview some of these touring films, and, for the most part, the quality stands
up to the festival's reputation. Stand-outs include Brett Morgen's
much-written-about documentary
Ollie's Army (NYU), a frightening look at
the fervent supporters of Oliver North and their campaign to get him elected to
the Virginia senate in 1994; Timothy Naylor's
Generic Metal Titians,
also from NYU, notable for its production values and exemplary acting but a
prime example of my thesis statement; David Munro's
First Love Second
Planet (San Francisco State), an incredibly shot metaphor for incest, whose
intense landscape gives a pleasantly absurd angle to the heavy, overly-visited
subject; Ram Nehari's
I'm Miserable Now (Tel Aviv U), the story of a
young man's uncertainty about entering the Israeli army; and Joshua Oreck's
My Day (Rhode Island School of Design), a nicely shot day in the life of
an artist, his waitress girlfriend, and their strange upstairs neighbor, a
personal trainer named Fritz. At least two Texans have films in the tour.
Lubbock native Bill Brown's
Roswell (Harvard) is a light-hearted tour
through New Mexico with an amnesiac in search of UFO's, and
Jesus of
Judson, a UT film by Jake Vaughan (produced by Amy Thompson, written by
Bryan Poyser) explores the reluctant friendships of a group of Army brat
misfits.
The local arm of the festival presents this year's finalists in three,
two-hour-long programs. Awards will be presented for best narrative, animation,
documentary, best no-budget, and best experimental. Special Achievement awards
will be handed out for cinematography, editing, and best screenplay. Highlights
from the past UT award winners program (12 films) include Brian O'Kelly's
Detour, Rachel Tsangari's Fit, Susan Bloom's Kitty
Hill, Anthony Tenczar's Spoken Flesh, Susanne Mason's Tales from
the Riverside, Tassos Rigopoulos' The Significant Other, and Karen
Kocher's Common Ground: The Battle for Barton Springs.
In addition, a special screening of the rediscovered 1964 doucumentary I Am
Cuba, a Soviet-made film that combines the bleakness of communism with the
rich greenery of the Carribean tropics of Cuba (the film was banned after its
release for failing to meet the government agenda) will take place on Sunday at
3:30pm with the film's cinematographer, Sasha Calzatti, in attendance. It is
I Am Cuba's stunning, unprecedented cinematography that elevates
the film to a level beyond its purpose, and even by today's standards is
impressive to look at. Calzetti served as first camera operator for the film
when he was only 22 years old. A Q&A with the cinematographer will follow
the screening at 6pm.
Though the group has bitten off what may appear to be more than one new film
festival can chew, CinemaTexas is hoping this year's maiden voyage will be a
success, that they'll get the public out to see films the students feel haven't
yet had a proper audience, and that local enthusiasm might extend the
festival's reach into next year when they plan to accept entries from around
the world and begin to establish CinemaTexas as an international short film
showcase. Entertainment-wise there's more than enough to go around, so go
ahead... indulge.
-- Jen Scoville
The CinemaTexas Film and Video Festival runs Thursday, September 26-Sunday,
September 29 at the Texas Union Theatre on the UT campus (24th &
Guadalupe); admission is $2 ($1 for UT students). Thursday's opening-night
reception (5pm) will be held in the theatre lobby. For more info, call
471-6659.
