10th annual Film Festival exceeds expectations

Nine works by current Emerson students and recent graduates were screened at the Writers Guild of America Theater in Beverly Hills on March 11 as part of the College’s tenth annual Film Festival.

More than 250 people attended the festival, including Emerson Trustees, parents, alumni, early action accepted students, industry guests, and current Emerson students.

“The 10th anniversary of the Los Angeles Film Festival exceeded everyone’s expectations,” said Jim Lane, executive director of the Los Angeles Program. “All who attended left with an extraordinarily positive feeling for the College and its larger community of friends, family, alums, and benefactors.”

This year, the event honored Rick Baker P’10, the Academy Award-winning make-up artist for films such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Men in Black, and The Nutty Professor.

The achievements of four students were also recognized. The Take Action Hollywood! Award, which was co-founded by Access Hollywood and The Today Show correspondent Maria Menounos ’00, was presented to Rene Dongo ’11 for his film Mr. President and to Kady Buchanan ’09 and Jason Blanchard ’09 for their film Central Square. The Take Action Hollywood! Award is given to students whose films most powerfully explore a current social issue (cultural, political, or personal) and helps to finance the completion of their projects and/or submission to film festivals.

The Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf ’71 Women in Film Production Award for Emerson’s 2010 Outstanding Female Filmmaker was presented to Jenna Lyng ’10 for her films You Are What You Draw and As They Fade.

Other films screened at the festival include: Pat by Nathaniel Hansen, MFA ’11, Birthmarks by Phil Hamilton ’11, Why Our Parents Fight and Warren Budd and His Propeller Plane by Jackson Adams ’10, To Camp Like Our Parents by Corbett Jones ’11, and Pockets by Jessica Schoen ’11.

“It was a stellar evening of student films,” Barbara Rutberg, associate vice president for Alumni Relations said, “and a proud occasion for Emerson. Many Emerson students were able to exchange information and network with the industry guests and alumni who were in attendance, which was wonderful.”

The members of the alumni screening committee that evaluated the student films are: Holly Bario ’89, co-president of production at DreamWorks; Harlan Gulko ’95, vice president of national publicity at Focus Features; Shane Hurlbut ’86, director of photography at Hurlbut Visuals; and Aaron Ryder ’94, producer and president of production at Filmnation Entertainment.