A spirit of community pervaded Brown University’s fifth annual Ivy Film
Festival, which concluded its five-day run last Sunday. From the
welcome packet complete with badge to the many events held in the
student filmmakers’ honor, the festival was first and foremost a way
for student directors—who came from schools around the United States
and Europe—to connect with and see each others’ work.
Not that the audience was restricted to the featured artists.
Nearly 2000 people attended the festival’s events, which included
several screenings of student films, as well as discussions with
professional filmmakers such as Michael Showalter, who co-wrote and
acted in “Wet Hot American Summer” and Lisa Gossels, director of “The
Children of Chabannes,” one of the features screened.
“It was nice to see a lot of films that were at Sundance that
I wouldn’t have been able to see otherwise,” said Oliver A. Horovitz
’08. “It really felt like the right place to be,” he said about his
second trip to the Ivy Film Festival.
While technical difficulties plagued his and others’
screenings last year, this year’s went off without a hitch. Horovitz’s
documentary “The 12:30 Group,” about a group of elderly golfers who are
local legends in Rockport, Mass., was originally made for Professor of
the Practice of Filmmaking, Ross McElwee’s non-fiction video course.
The short was one of several films by Harvard students that screened
during the festival.
Other Harvard films included “Cut Short,” a drama about fate
and haircuts directed by Akis P. Konstantakopoulos ’06, the animated
“Pom” by Grace C. Laubacher ’09, “Ted the Prophet,” an animated story
of prophecy by Shai Davis ’06, and “Well-Fed and Comfortable,” a family
drama by alumnus Richard L. “Lou” Howe ’05.
Despite the convivial atmosphere, the festival was also
competitive, with awards handed out for achievement in several
different genres, as well as for best screenplay, best directing,
audience favorite, and “most original voice.” The biggest winners (none
of Harvard’s entries took home awards) were University of
Pennsylvania’s Andrea Scott, who won both Best Short Screenplay and
Most Original Voice for her “The Infamous Gabi Garcia.” Daniel Falcone
from Columbia’s film school, whose “Night Swimming” tells the story of
two young punks on a cross-country road trip, won Best Film School
Production and Best Director.
The best part of being a filmmaker at the Ivy Film Festival,
though, is the perks. Between the meals for directors, the free gear,
and the parties, it seems the filmmakers get treated very well. No
wonder Horovitz came back for a second helping.
—Staff writer Elisabeth J. Bloomberg can be reached at bloomber@fas.harvard.edu.
Read more in Arts
‘Orpheus’ Pushes LimitsRecommended Articles
-
The Next GenerationForget the pugilistic antics of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the protracted historical sweep of The Last Emperor—Contemporary Chinese film
-
High Hopes For Latino Film Fest CreatorThree years ago, Cambridge resident Jose Barriga sat in a local coffee shop with a friend and first considered the
-
In the B.U.F.F.Film festivals, by their nature, tend to exhibit flicks that would not be shown in your standard Indiana multiplex. So,
-
U.N. Film Festival Opens New EyesDesigned to screen documentaries seldom available to the public, “Changing Faces: Tragedy and Triumph” marks the second year the United
-
Ivy Film Festival Unites Student FilmmakersPROVIDENCE, R.I.—The glitterati of student film descended on Providence last weekend, drawn by panels with industry bigwigs, complimentary hotel rooms,
-
Adams House Film Festival PreviewADAMS HOUSE FILM FESTIVAL PREVIEW Location: Adams House Pool Theater DATE: May 8, 3 p.m. Tickets: $5 at the Harvard