At the end of each semester, the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts’ School of Film, Dance and Theatre hosts a showcase of selected film works made by graduating seniors at ASU.
This semester the Fall Senior Film Showcase has been re-branded and will include pieces submitted from any senior student in the school of film, dance and theatre.
According to Janaki Cedanna, an associate film professor at ASU and the jury head for the showcase, in the past the event included only films from students in the capstone film class, but for the last year has included pieces from any senior film students.
“It’s a really fun event,” Cedanna said. “It’s a culmination of their experiences here and it’s nice to see them celebrating with their friends and family.”
Students are able to submit documentaries, narrative films and film reels, but Cedanna said every semester is different in terms of what is received. All films are then reviewed by a board of ASU film professors, alumni and industry professionals and analyzed on both a technical and creative level.
Traditionally, the pieces accepted are then shown the night of the showcase, with all the films submitted being shown the next day.
However, Cedanna said this semester is the first time in many years that every piece submitted has been accepted into the showcase. Some students are still putting the final touches on their works, but it is expected that all 12 will be shown on Dec. 1.
“This is the first time in recent memory that’s happened,” he said. “So we’re really excited for this year’s crop of films and their diversity.”
Charles Sterling, a film and media production senior whose short film “As Seen on T.V.” was accepted to the showcase, said he wrote the script as a freshman and developed it with his girlfriend to use for his capstone project.
“To have a whole event dedicated to showcasing our work to the community is really cool,” Sterling said. “We make it for an audience to watch, not just for ourselves.”
“As Seen on T.V.” is about a young man who cannot feel pain and uses this ability to fight crime.
Representation and working with local artists for the film was really important to Sterling, he said. The piece features an all-black cast and will include an original soundtrack from the Phoenix band The Color 8.
Read More: SPM local band profile: The Color 8
Hansen Yang, a film and media production senior from Beijing shot his short film “Express” entirely in China, and he said it is the only foreign film that has been submitted to the showcase this year.
The film is about a man’s first day as a deliveryman, his interactions with the different people he meets on his route and about society in Beijing.
“I just wanted to make something different …” Yang said. “Something based on my culture and that I understand.”
Yang said he was excited his film was accepted because he wasn’t sure it would translate well with American audiences, but when he showed it in class his fellow classmates enjoyed it.
“People loved the film when I showed it in class,” he said. “I was afraid that the cultural differences would’ve caused misunderstanding, but people actually laughed.”
The Fall Senior Film Showcase will take place at the Paul V. Galvin Playhouse at 7 p.m. on Dec. 1. The event is free for Herberger students, and tickets are available for $5 for other students and the public.
Reach the reporter at abpotter@asu.edu and follow @abpotter4 on Twitter.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
