10 • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2002
CONTRIBUTED ART
In Man Versus the Refrigerator, shown at the KAN Film Festival, special effects impressed audiences when a refrigerator fell on one of the stars of the film.
KAN Film Festival attracts KU Students
By Todd Smith Kansan staff writer
Independent filmmakers showed their movie-making skills on Saturday. The 11th annual KAN Film Festival attracted a record crowd of 550 in the Lied Center. The film festival's name, KAN, is a take-off of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France and also the word KAN-sas.
The festival chose films of 75 finalists, mostly from Kansas and Missouri. There were 178 films originally entered.
The festival consisted of five divisions divided into different categories, such as, comedy or drama, documentary, music video and educational. The festival had a student division representing work from grade school students to college level.
Patricia Hamarstrom, executive director, said the number of entries was slightly lower than last year's number, 210.
"This is probably because the entry date was changed from May first to April, and some people missed it," she said.
Four entries in the festival showed work done by University of Kansas students.
Jeremy Osbern, Lawrence sophomore had two entries, Summer Days by Calsto , a music video, and a short original production called Man Versus the Refrigerator.
The music video received first place in the music video category out of five entries.
Osbern said he was just happy to win anything, let alone first place.
The music video is about two people who fall in love he said.
"I show the progression of the couple from when they are little kids until they are in their sixties." Osbern said.
Patrick Rea, Schuyler, Nebraska senior and Vickie Goetz, Lawrence graduate student, received second place in the documentary category for Building New Lives One Life at a Time.
Kyle Hamrick, Olathe senior, who entered a piece in the documentary category did not place. The documentary was titled Movin'on Down the Line.
The division winners are picked from all the categories within a division.
Five entries won in the division: Rich Ambler, Fairway, in the open division for Prisoner of Love; Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, University of Southern California and resident of Kansas City, Kan., in the college division for PeepingTom; Dan Gartner, St. Charles West High School, St. Charles, Mo., in the secondary division, grades 10th through 12th, for The Impresario; Kevin Lander, Shawnee Mission East, Prairie Village, in the intermediate division for A Dreamworld's Reality; A.S.P.I.R.E. Students Highland Park Elementary, Lee's Summit, Mo., in the primary division for To Dig the Truth.
The winners received U.S. Savings bonds. The first place winner of each division received a $150 savings bond. U.S. Savings bonds in the amount of $100 for first place, $75 for second place and $50 for third place were awarded for winners in each category.
The major sponsors for the festival were the Kansas Arts Commission, Southwestern Bell Telephone and the Missouri Film Commission.
A complete listing of all the films and past winners can be found at the KAN Film Festival web site at www.kanfilmfest.org
Man Versus the Refrigerator received third in the original category out of five entries. Contact Smith at smith@kansan.com. This story was edited by Mandy Millen.