8A
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY OF DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2009
ARTS
First KU International Film Festival kicks off Friday
Nancy Hoch, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, senior, Student Union Activities and Kansas Memorial Unions helped put together the first International Film Festival at the University of Kansas. Students submitted short films for the festival, which runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Awards will be given out to the students for first, second and third place.
BY JENNIFER TORLINE
jtorline@kansan.com
Rachael Gray/KANSAN
Nancy Hoch knows what it's like to help with the largest film festival in Latin America. She knows about the different genres of films and the post-production process.
But most importantly, she knows how difficult it is for young filmmakers to get their work recognized in the industry, which is why she decided to help organize the University of Kansas' first International Film Festival.
"I want to do something for my generation of film students," Hoch, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, senior, said.
The festival is a combined effort among Hoch, Student Union Activities and Kansas Memorial Unions.
Hoch's family owns the Expression en Corto international film festival, Latin America's largest film festival, and she decided to bring some of the award-winning films to the University's festival this weekend.
To coincide with the festival, SUA organized a student film competition. Before the international films are screened, the third, second and first place winners will be announced and shown on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
"I was really amazed by the caliber of the films the student competition brought out," Joe Day, Derby junior and SUAs film coordinator, said. "It's a great showcase for our film department."
The Expression en Corto films that will be shown at the festival have all won awards, Hoch said. Each night will feature about an hour and a half of short films ranging from animation to experimental to documentary.
"The good thing about shorts is that if you don't like one, another one starts in five minutes," Hoch said.
Hoch's mother, Sarah, began Expression en Corto, meaning "in short expression," 11 years ago as a festival for international, short and documentary films. Since then, Hoch said, it has continued to grow in
size and now has submissions from more than 70 countries each year.
Hoch said the festival attracted more than 80,000 people each year and took place in Mexico during the last week of July.
Hoch is a fifth generation KU student, and with her family's ties to the University, she decided to bring part of the festival here. Her family paid to have the films shipped here for the festival and some of them will attend this weekend.
"We're all used to working as a family unit, and it was natural to continue that way," Hoch said.
The planning for the festival began in October, when David Mucci, director of Kansas Memorial Unions, approached Hoch and Day about the idea for a film festival at the University.
Day said SUA sent out a call for film entries from KU students and received seven submissions earlier this month. Day said the KU films were less than 15 minutes long.
Day said the students who won first place would be able to submit their film to this year's Expression en Corto without paying the application fee. The Expression en Corto festival's jury would then decide whether the film would be screened
Following each night's screenings, Day said a reception with hors doeuvres would promote discussion of the films and increase the cultural awareness of the program.
"My niche, whether it's in front of or behind the camera, is I love to entertain people," Babbitt said.
"It's a good festival atmosphere that we're trying to present," Day said. "It's not just come and watch a movie and leave. It's come, watch a movie, discuss it, hang out and maybe watch another one."
Hoch said she hoped the festival would give people a chance to enjoy international films as well as appreciate the work of local filmmakers. "We do have future filmmakers at KU, and we want to see their material while they are in college." Hoch said.
in Mexico, Day said second and third place winners would get prizes from Apple Inc.
Edited by Heather Melanson
Grant Babbitt, Lenexa junior and film production major, entered three films in the competition. He said he loved to make films and wanted to submit his own to a local festival.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday
THE UNIVERSITY'S FIRST INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Festival themes:
Friday — "The Best of Expresión en Corto from 2007-08"
Saturday — "The Best of Mexican Shorts Over the 10 Years of Expresión en Corto"
WHERE: Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union
WHAT: A three-day film festival featuring short films by KU students and films from the Expression en Corto international film festival.
COST: Free and open to the public
Sunday — "The Best International Films in Expresión en Corto"
KU GRADUATE AND AWARD-WINNING SPORTSWITER
KEN DAVIS BOOK SIGNING
inspiration
What films inspired you to be a filmmaker?
Some of the KU students who entered SUA's film competition talk about what motivated them to make films.
-Kitley Jewell, Lawrence senior and film major
"The first live action movie that I ever saw was 'Dick Tracy!' It combined comic books and reality and made me want to make movies. It was the first time I saw movies and was excited about what I was seeing."
"My dad was very interested in films and he does video work. He would often get me to see a film a different way. He made me want to make films, and looking through his eyes I could see why it was cool. Movies like 'Apocalypse Now,' The Matrix' or 'The Fountain' I could appreciate because of growing up under him. His interests sparked my interests."
-Micah Brown, Kearney, Neb.. senior and film major
"I love to watch a film that has a love story that is uncommon or not typical. Movies like, 'Me and You and Everyone We Know', 'Punch-Drunk Love' and 'The Science of Sleep'. Movies that tell a love story in a new way, that sometimes make the audience not sure if the hero wins. Most of these movies have a weird way of making you feel hopeful for the characters, but at the same time makes you question the traditional concept of a love story. What can I say, I'm a sucker for them."
-Grant Babbitt, Lenexa junior and film production major