First-year student pioneers festival geared toward amateur films
By Guido Pellegrini
May 15, 2008 9:02 p.m.
At a time when most people would be worrying about the pressures of college, one woman is busy conceiving an ambitious undertaking of her own making. Sarah Nagy, a first-year student, is the creative mind and director behind the Spotlight Student Film Festival. The new event takes place this weekend in Calabasas, and showcases the work of young high school filmmakers from the surrounding area, as well as from across Los Angeles.
The idea for the festival was born out of pragmatic necessity. While working on a film during the summer of 2007, Sarah realized that there was no easily available way of displaying the finished product to an audience.
“In August, when the movie was halfway done, I started thinking, “˜You know, I really want to show this movie to family and friends, but I can’t really find a proper venue,'” Nagy said.
“So I called Spotlight the Arts. I (spoke with) the chair and the co-chair; we all had lunch and talked about my idea to have a student film festival, and they loved it.”
A nonprofit organization, Spotlight the Arts seeks to invigorate artistic fervor, specifically around the Calabasas community. For Stephanie Cooper, membership co-chair and UCLA alumna, the festival is a wonderful avenue through which this goal can be accomplished.
“We’re just a group of regular citizens who love the arts,” Cooper said. “Some of us are actors, people who just love to attend theater, singers ““ just a variety of people ““ and we love all the arts, but the performing arts even more so.
“Film is interestingly both a performing art and a visual art. That’s what we’re about: promoting performing arts in our community.”
Having secured the backing of Spotlight the Arts, which is presenting the event, the time came to start making the endeavor a reality.
“In December, when all the Spotlight members knew about my idea, we started to realize that idea,” said Nagy. “We began to establish networks with local teachers. … And then pretty soon, I’m not sure how … the word just got out all the way to the Palisades.”
Of the 25 entries received, only 18 were ultimately accepted to participate.
The festival starts today, inside the Louis B. Mayer Theatre at the Motion Picture and Television Fund, with a special 7 p.m. screening of David Lynch’s early student film “Eraserhead.” On Saturday, the actual submissions will be displayed, starting at 1 p.m. Doors will open half an hour prior to the actual showing on both days.
Each of the student films will be considered by a panel of judges, with the first-place winner receiving a scholarship to a three-week digital film workshop at the New York Film Academy at Universal Studios.
Sana Soni, a third-year comparative literature student at UCLA, will be one of the judges picking the recipient of this sought-after award.
“I appreciate the exhibition of amateur filmmakers’ products. There is a lot of talent there. Just to add to my variety of experience, I thought it would be great to be a judge at a film festival, because I have never really done that,” she said.
Such a responsibility necessitates a particular attitude that is suitable for the viewing and subsequent comparison of different cinematic visions.
“I do want to go with a completely open mind,” Soni said. “I want to see originality and talent ““ a true kind of life within these movies ““ not just the same old cliche kind of romantic comedy or horror story, but something new.”
Indeed, the festival’s success rests largely on the skill of the young filmmakers. According to Cooper, this factor is more than well accounted for, and fully validates attendance.
“Some of these kids are just talented,” she said. “It’s something different to do, other than going to a regular movie theater, where you know what you are going to see.”
As for aspiring UCLA student filmmakers not involved with the festival, they may glean more than mere entertainment from the event.
“I suggest going to it to network with other filmmakers,” Soni said.
“Help each other out. There is no such thing as going it alone in this industry, and a community of networking is so important ““ as much as talent is.”
