The University of Notre Dame's Department of Film, Television, and Theatre (FTT) announces the 31st Annual Notre Dame Student Film Festival, in the Browning Cinema at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, January 24 through 26.
An annual launching pad for student filmmakers as they begin their careers in the film, television, and entertainment industries, the Notre Dame Student Film Festival screens films that were made by undergraduate students during the past year as class projects in the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre. As in recent years, after each screening audience members will be invited to vote for their favorite film via text message. The Audience Choice Award will be presented to the student director(s) of the winning film after the final screening.
"The Student Film Festival is really a window into the minds of current Notre Dame students," says festival founder and FTT faculty member Ted Mandell. "If you look at the films as a whole, you will see the portrait of an undergraduate student, trying to make sense of this world, figuring out where they fit in, how they fit, and doing so quite artistically through humor, suspense, and frankness."
The festival has featured the first films of future award-winning filmmakers such as Peter Richardson (2011 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award winner, How To Die in Oregon) and John Hibey (2012 Sundance Film Jury Award Winner for Short Filmmaking, Fishing Without Nets), as well as numerous others. It has served as the springboard for successful careers in every aspect of the industry, where ND Student Film Festival alumni have worked on everything from Saturday Night Live to La La Land.
Many films from past festivals have also been selected for national and international film festivals, including:
Shelter Me - 2019 Arizona International Film Festival (Best Short Documentary), 2019 Atlanta ShortsFest Film Festival (Best Documentary Short)
Emma. - 2019 NYC Short Documentary Film Festival (Best Director Award), 2019 Harvard College Film Festival
Breaking the Cycle - 2018 New York City Short Film Festival (Best Documentary Short), 2018 USA Film Festival (First Place Non-Fiction Short Film), 2018 Ivy Film Festival (Best U.S. Undergraduate Documentary)
Peace at the Pipeline - 2017 San Pedro International Film Festival, 2017 Riverside International Film Festival
patrolling sandy hook - 2016 USA Film Festival (Winner, Special Jury Award), 2016 DocuWest International Film Festival (Winner, Women Who Doc Award)
Eat. Ride. Sleep. - 2015 Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Midwest Emmy Award Nominee
Curry & Erin - 2015 Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (Special Jury Prize, Collegiate Documentary)
The Suicide Disease - 2014 Sunset International Film Festival (Winner, Best Short Documentary)
Among the films featured in the 2020 Notre Dame Student Film Festival:
Sand Branch
Kelli Smith, Bella Martinez
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An accessible lot for disabled patrons is available immediately adjacent to the center; a valid hangtag or license plate is required. There is a ten-minute parking zone on the north drive of the center for ticket pick-up; during inclement weather you are welcome to drop off guests in this area and proceed to parking.
Notre Dame's Department of Film, Television, and Theatre seeks to inspire intellectual inquiry and nurture creativity. We offer both a scholarly and a creative context for the general liberal arts student at Notre Dame as well as those students seeking intensive preparation for advanced study in these fields. The hands-on nature of our curriculum, coupled with a very high degree of student-faculty interaction, provides students with a singular educational opportunity at a university known for its teaching excellence. The Notre Dame Student Film Festival is a direct outgrowth of the department's academic program and an integral component of our students' artistic development.
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