Heroin addicts, a mental patient lost in fantasies, a student whose screenplays come to life, an animated graphic novel about friendship and finding the perfect woman. Those were just some of the topics of the student films shown at the first SyRECuse Film Festival.

The 17 films were screened in succession starting at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, in Gifford Auditorium, each work different from the last.

UU Cinemas co-directors Lindsey Colegrove and Tenaysia Fox said they were happy with the festival and appreciative of the students who took time out of their Friday nights to attend.

‘I think it went pretty well. It’s more than we could’ve asked for on a Friday night when most people would be at a party,’ Fox said.

Some documentaries commented on the Iraq War, poverty, the life of a mentally disabled sex offender and exploring a haunted abandoned factory. Other films included a comedy about guys trying to pick up women at a house party, a romance between a janitor and a mermaid, and even a short Obama campaign ad.

A committee made of members of UU Cinemas, Obscure Cinema Society and independent company Rylaxer that co-organized and sponsored the festival whittled down the entries to determine the first- and second-place prizes. The two winners were chosen by three judges: television, radio and film professors David Coryell and Keith Giglio and English department teaching assistant Joseph Hughes.

The event’s attendees appeared captivated by the unique opportunity to view student films they would otherwise never see. The event was marked by moments like intense sobbing during ‘Follow My Steps’ and uncontrollable laughter as student actors acted foolish on the dance floor in ‘The Peter Zone.’ 

‘When you’re motivated to be creative it can be really exciting, and the festival is a great creative outlet,’ said Kyle Kuchta, a junior film major, vice president of Obscure Cinema Society and co-creator of one of the screened films.

His film, ‘The Peter Zone,’ was a spoof on ‘The Twilight Zone.‘ It depicted three awkward guys trying to dance with girls at a house party. The audience chuckled throughout as the narrator ridiculed the boys’ hilarious pickup antics.

First prize, a ticket package to the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, went to S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications graduate student Andrew Hida for his documentary ‘Follow My Steps.’

It follows the moving story of the friendship between Tony, a 20 year-old with brittle bone disease, and Andrew, a 12-year-old with muscular dystrophy. Both confined to wheelchairs for most of their lives, they each understand the agony and discomfort the other endures daily.

It was a story of best friends supporting each other, even if just by playing games on their Xbox. The auditorium echoed with applause as the credits rolled. Hida was unable to attend the festival, so UU Cinemas accepted the prize on his behalf.

Second place went to sophomore film majors Patrick Cook and Mark Olin for their film ‘Searching for Winnie Cooper.’ The film was about a man looking for the perfect woman, the Winnie Cooper to his Kevin Arnold for those familiar with his favorite television show, ‘The Wonder Years.’

Viewers never did find out if he got the girl. Technical difficulties stopped them from viewing the last few minutes, though Cook and Olin promised to post the film on YouTube. The pair received a prize package from Rylaxer, including a portable couch, a blanket, DVDs and popcorn.

Olin was glad to get some recognition for his work from the student body.

‘As Syracuse film students, sometimes we find it’s hard to get an audience, so it’s really nice to have something like this put together, to formally show what we’ve done,’ Olin said. ‘As far as winning, it feels pretty good. It’s kind of like getting the fruit of all our efforts.’

Cook, co-filmmaker of ‘Searching for Winnie Cooper,‘ is simply grateful the film was given an audience.

He said, ‘It’s always nice to see that people like your work, and that somewhere, somebody actually wants to watch it.’

rjmarvin@syr.edu

Published on February 12, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Rob: rjmarvin@syr.edu