Lander University Awards Local Filmmakers at Conclusion of 16th Annual Film Festival

Space invaders, horror films, a period piece and a social commentary on humanity’s overreliance on technology.

These, and many others, were on display during the short film screening and awards ceremony for the 16th annual Lander University Film Festival, held Saturday, March 21. The ceremony brought to a close the week-long celebration of filmmaking that included a screening of Slacker (1990) by Greenwood Film Society’s founder, Dr. Daniel Harrison, and a lecture on Alfred Hitchcock by Dr. Misty Jameson.

The audience in attendance Saturday watched a grand total of 17 short films that made it to the competition’s big screen, and awards were given to the first, second and third place films in the festival’s three divisions: High School, College and Open.

“I continue to be impressed each year of the filmmaking talent we have right here in South Carolina,” said Dr. Robert Stevenson, professor of journalism and communication, and director of the festival. “Our filmmakers have a short window of time in which they can script, cast, shoot and edit their submissions, and it is incredible to watch the process, from one single line of dialogue to the final product.”

Below are the winning films in each division. Watch them online by visiting www.landerfilmfestival.com.

Open:

• First Place: Blaine Hicklin, for the film “CTRL_ALT”
• Second Place: Nick Stevenson, for the film “Presence”
• Third Place: Noah Bunting, for the film “A Most Vexing Visitation”

College:

• First Place: Ashley Potter, for the film “Channel Surfing”
• Second Place: Cailand Leverette, for the film “Therapy”
• Third Place: Ryley Farmer, for the film “Love Letters”

High School:

• First Place: Jet Turner, for the film, “Today”
• Second Place: Avery Cox, for the film “Tied to You”
• Third Place: Layla Gaskins, for the film “No Charge”

Other Awards:

• Best Actor: Ben Bagwell, for his performance in Stevenson’s “The Presence”
• Best Actress: Olivia Weeks, for her performance in Bunting’s “A Most Vexing Visitation”

Saturday also marked the first time the festival awarded the new Sam Thomas Award. Named after the late Sam Thomas, a Lander alumnus and an eight-time winner of the Lander University Film Festival, this award “is given to the film crew whose work best demonstrates perseverance and commitment to excellence in filmmaking,” said Stevenson. This year’s festival paid tribute to Thomas one year after his death by showcasing seven of his eight films.

Lander student Tyler Shenal’s film “Invaders,” took home the inaugural award, “due to his consistency in entering the festival multiple times, and his flexibility when things didn’t go exactly as planned,” said Stevenson.

According to Shenal’s application for the award, the filming of “Invaders” faced several unexpected obstacles, including cast members taking ill prior to filming and technical problems that forced the team to think outside the box to find solutions.

“Even with all of these issues aside, I felt that my wonderful crew and I were able to make a pretty great movie, pretty close at least to what I had originally envisioned,” Shenal said.

Founded in 2010, the Lander University Film Festival provides outstanding film-related opportunities to Lander students, and the arts and film communities in South Carolina and beyond. Collaborations with academics and professionals in the film industry have led to exciting and unique opportunities for filmmakers of all skill levels to learn new techniques, develop their filmmaking skills and showcase their work. For more information, visit www.landerfilmfestival.com.

16th Annual Lander Film Festival by University Marketing & Communications