AACC To Host Spring Film Festival Of Student, Alumni Work

It’s lights, camera, action for Anne Arundel Community College students and alumni as budding filmmakers vie for top awards in AACC’s spring film festival. Hosted by the college’s video club, the film festival will feature student work on April 26.

The main goal of the film festival is to highlight and showcase work from current and former students, mainly in the program, but any AACC student can submit a film to be reviewed by an outside juror. Dina Fiasconaro, associate professor at Stevenson University, will serve as juror of films.

“I think it’s important that students have this opportunity to apply to something, and potentially if selected, screen their work,” said Chanan Delivuk, professorial lecturer in video at Anne Arundel Community College and faculty adviser for the college’s video club. “There are awards associated with this festival, so it’s a professional practice that will give students real-world experience for applying to festivals in the future, particularly once they leave AACC, and it is a resume builder.”

Delivuk said the event will feel like other film festivals. “Each category will be screened one at a time with short animations provided by the animation club on campus in between,” she said. “Our juror will be in attendance and will announce awards for each category, and there will be time afterward to mingle and ask questions.”

To enter the festival, students will submit their work in comedy, horror, avant-garde, documentary, action, drama or shorts (anything under four minutes). There will also be an overall Best Of award for the submission the juror felt was the best all-around in the entire festival, and one alumni award.

“I think it’s important for current students to see what alumni are up to, particularly those who have either entered the workforce or are currently enrolled in film school,” Delivuk said.

Rye McCubbin, a sophomore at AACC and vice president of the video club, is excited to see the upcoming films.

“I have always been fascinated by movies and I love the art behind how they are created,” McCubbin said. “I have recently begun making videos myself and I have met many amazing people while taking classes at AACC.”

Delivuk emphasized how the many forms of media production — videography, cinematography, video editing, sound design, animation, directing, producing, scriptwriting — give students a creative outlet that connects their ideas with technology.

“Filmmaking will always be popular because it’s part of our culture,” Delivuk said. “We all remember favorite movies from our childhood. People go to the movies, have televisions in their homes, and own cellphones or other devices where steaming videos and movies are instantaneous. We are visually driven by moving images.”

Filmmaking has gained popularity because more and more people are exposed to it, she continued.

“For anyone who really loves the art of filmmaking in all aspects, it’s really about bridging that love for the art with your own creative voice and vision to seriously make a living,” Delivuk said. “And, there are so many points of entry into the field, which is what makes the program at AACC so practical for anyone who is interested in learning technical and conceptual skills.”

McCubbin said he’s looking forward to seeing the students’ best work.

“I love seeing local students’ different styles of video, and seeing everybody’s creative mindset come out on screen is always a very unique moment to me,” McCubbin said. “I have seen many students’ works throughout my class sessions, but I have never seen their most prized work presented at a festival.”

Video club president Keno’e Mullings, a sophomore at AACC, is excited to see other people’s works and envision what’s going on inside their heads.

“The students of the film club are amazing and have so many artistic variations that everything seems fresh,” Mullings said. “So far, the films that I’ve seen from each of them make me hopeful for the future of filmmaking. We might have the next Jordan Peele in this group.”

The festival will be held on Friday, April 26, at 2:00pm in the Humanities Building, room 112, on the Arnold campus. There is no charge for the event and it is open to the public.