At Ivy Film Festival, love and bowling
Alex Seitz-Wald
Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: Campus News
Technology has allowed filmmakers to produce movies that beg grand productions such as "Titanic," Thomas Rothman '76 P'11 said at the closing ceremony of the seventh-annual Ivy Film Festival on Saturday night.
But simple films like "Juno" can also be commercial successes because the quality of a movie is dependent on its story, not its budget or technological grandeur, added Rothman, who oversaw production of both the nautical romantic tragedy and the dry comedy.
This keynote address by Rothman, now co-chairman and chief executive officer of Fox Filmed Entertainment, and the awards ceremony at Sayles Hall that followed wrapped up the annual, week-long film festival. About 200 student filmmakers, industry talent, festival staff and guests gathered to celebrate the close of the "only film festival for and by college students," said Meg Boudreau '08, the festival's executive director.
The week included 35 student film screenings, filmmaking panels and addresses by film industry professionals, including a conversation with "filmmaking legend" Martin Scorsese, IFF Associate Director Elizabeth Backup '08 said.
The festival received more than 250 film submissions this year, and 35 were chosen to be featured in the festival, IFF Program Director Eric Dahlbom '08.5 said. Students from across the globe - from Oregon to Greece - submitted movies.
The festival usually expects many entries from certain schools with strong film programs, like New York University and the University of Southern California, Boudreau said. The nine festival winners, except for the audience choice award, were selected by three industry judges.
Dahlbom said he was impressed with the quality of this year's films, saying he found himself "not being able to choose which to tell my friends to go to." In addition to films, the festival also received about 75 student-written screenplays, a "record amount," he added.
"Finding Matty's Voice," a film about a boy with autism, won the grand jury award, a high honor the festival's judges offer.
But simple films like "Juno" can also be commercial successes because the quality of a movie is dependent on its story, not its budget or technological grandeur, added Rothman, who oversaw production of both the nautical romantic tragedy and the dry comedy.
This keynote address by Rothman, now co-chairman and chief executive officer of Fox Filmed Entertainment, and the awards ceremony at Sayles Hall that followed wrapped up the annual, week-long film festival. About 200 student filmmakers, industry talent, festival staff and guests gathered to celebrate the close of the "only film festival for and by college students," said Meg Boudreau '08, the festival's executive director.
The week included 35 student film screenings, filmmaking panels and addresses by film industry professionals, including a conversation with "filmmaking legend" Martin Scorsese, IFF Associate Director Elizabeth Backup '08 said.
The festival received more than 250 film submissions this year, and 35 were chosen to be featured in the festival, IFF Program Director Eric Dahlbom '08.5 said. Students from across the globe - from Oregon to Greece - submitted movies.
The festival usually expects many entries from certain schools with strong film programs, like New York University and the University of Southern California, Boudreau said. The nine festival winners, except for the audience choice award, were selected by three industry judges.
Dahlbom said he was impressed with the quality of this year's films, saying he found himself "not being able to choose which to tell my friends to go to." In addition to films, the festival also received about 75 student-written screenplays, a "record amount," he added.
"Finding Matty's Voice," a film about a boy with autism, won the grand jury award, a high honor the festival's judges offer.