Lycoming students part of independent film festival
April 8, 2010
By Andrew Benkovic
Opinion Editor/Lycourier
Tonight and Friday the world of independent cinema has found a home in Williamsport. The first annual Billtown Film Festival will be held April 22-23 at the Community Arts Center located in W/ Fourth St.
The festival was created by Richard C. James. James created the Billtown Film Festival because he believes it will give an extra surge of revenue to the downtown. “I envision hotels booked to capacity, restaurants filled, and storefronts occupied during the festival.”
James wants to encourage artists in the region to produce works in film and video.
“We also want to support other organizations like the First Friday folks and the Central Pennsylvania Film Office in marketing Williamsport and Lycoming County as a region with great economic potential.”
Last year Lycoming College hosted its first video annual at the Community Arts Center. James contacted Lycoming College digital communications professor Leah Peterson about collaborating.
Peterson recruited Lynn Estomin, a professor of art and the three of them began the process of creating the festival.
The first day will be the Lycoming College Video Annual.
Students submitted their work to Peterson and films were selected by a jury of faculty and students. Selection was based on five criteria: interesting, thoughtful, dynamic, original and technically proficient.
Students were notified whether or not their work was chosen and attended a meeting regarding the screening. The selected students will have their work shown at the film festival and a winner will be chosen at the end of the festival with a cash prize awarded.
The films will range from narrative to documentary to experimental video. Peterson said that parental discretion is advised for some of these films due to subject matter. She recommends the audience be at least 14 or older.
Along with the selected students, the senior digital communications students will present their final projects. Finally, a film titled “I hope you like it” made by Crossing the Frame Productions will be premiered. Crossing the Frame Productions is a student-run club that wrote, cast, edited, and shot this film throughout the year.
The second day will focus on are a filmmakers. The filmmakers will include Estomin and Peterson along with Bucknell multimedia and photography professor Tulu Bayer and Penn State-Harrisburg humanities professor Catherine Rios.
Peterson will screen "My Life as Fiction" and "The Turkish Coffee Maker," which deal with family loyalty and the complications heritage can have on a life.
Estomin will screen the documentary "Run, Jane, Run," which tackles the subject of satanic cults, their influence and the potential for domestic violence; and "Sexual Politics of War," the true story of a female Iraq veteran's military experiences.
The two-day event is free and will start at 7:30 p.m., with the doors opening at 7. The event should end around 9:00. For more information visit the Community Arts homepage at www.caclive.com.
Opinion Editor/Lycourier
Tonight and Friday the world of independent cinema has found a home in Williamsport. The first annual Billtown Film Festival will be held April 22-23 at the Community Arts Center located in W/ Fourth St.
The festival was created by Richard C. James. James created the Billtown Film Festival because he believes it will give an extra surge of revenue to the downtown. “I envision hotels booked to capacity, restaurants filled, and storefronts occupied during the festival.”
James wants to encourage artists in the region to produce works in film and video.
“We also want to support other organizations like the First Friday folks and the Central Pennsylvania Film Office in marketing Williamsport and Lycoming County as a region with great economic potential.”
Last year Lycoming College hosted its first video annual at the Community Arts Center. James contacted Lycoming College digital communications professor Leah Peterson about collaborating.
Peterson recruited Lynn Estomin, a professor of art and the three of them began the process of creating the festival.
The first day will be the Lycoming College Video Annual.
Students submitted their work to Peterson and films were selected by a jury of faculty and students. Selection was based on five criteria: interesting, thoughtful, dynamic, original and technically proficient.
Students were notified whether or not their work was chosen and attended a meeting regarding the screening. The selected students will have their work shown at the film festival and a winner will be chosen at the end of the festival with a cash prize awarded.
The films will range from narrative to documentary to experimental video. Peterson said that parental discretion is advised for some of these films due to subject matter. She recommends the audience be at least 14 or older.
Along with the selected students, the senior digital communications students will present their final projects. Finally, a film titled “I hope you like it” made by Crossing the Frame Productions will be premiered. Crossing the Frame Productions is a student-run club that wrote, cast, edited, and shot this film throughout the year.
The second day will focus on are a filmmakers. The filmmakers will include Estomin and Peterson along with Bucknell multimedia and photography professor Tulu Bayer and Penn State-Harrisburg humanities professor Catherine Rios.
Peterson will screen "My Life as Fiction" and "The Turkish Coffee Maker," which deal with family loyalty and the complications heritage can have on a life.
Estomin will screen the documentary "Run, Jane, Run," which tackles the subject of satanic cults, their influence and the potential for domestic violence; and "Sexual Politics of War," the true story of a female Iraq veteran's military experiences.
The two-day event is free and will start at 7:30 p.m., with the doors opening at 7. The event should end around 9:00. For more information visit the Community Arts homepage at www.caclive.com.
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