SMPTE®, the organization whose standards work has supported a century of technological advances in entertainment technology, and the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today announced the official selections for the 2017 SMPTE-HPA Student Film Festival. Jurors curated the official selections from 119 shorts submitted by student filmmakers from more than 30 countries.
Hosted by Howard Lukk, director of engineering and standards at SMPTE, and Aimée Ricca, marketing and communication at SMPTE, the SMPTE-HPA Student Film Festival will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 23, at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres on Level 3 of the Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, California. The event is being held in conjunction with the SMPTE 2017 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2017). The official selections will be presented in SMPTE Digital Cinema Package (SMPTE-DCP) format. Further information about the event is available at http://www.smpte2017.org/student-film.html.
“The bar for entry to this year’s competition was higher than ever, and we’re delighted with the rich array of entries we received from around the world,” said SMPTE Education Vice President Richard Welsh, CEO of Sundog Media Toolkit. “Each of this year’s official selections demonstrates the potential of new entertainment technology as a storytelling tool, and each is a visual testament to the creativity and inventiveness of the newest generation of filmmakers.”
2017 SMPTE-HPA Student Film Festival Official Selections:
Innovative Use of Entertainment Technology to Engage the Audience in the Story — Animated Short (5 minutes or less)
“Attack of the Mothman” by Meg Viola
Ringling College of Art and Design (Sarasota, Florida, U.S.)
“Hope” by Alireza Bidar
Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, Georgia, U.S.)
“KCLOC” by Ninaad Kulkarni
School of Visual Arts (New York, U.S.)
“Tiny Wing” by Wei Li
Academy of Art University (San Francisco, California, U.S.)
“Tom in Couchland” by James Just
Ringling College of Art and Design (Sarasota, Florida, U.S.)
“VERGE” by ChingTien Chu
School of Visual Arts (New York, U.S.)
Innovative Use of Entertainment Technology to Engage the Audience in the Story — Live-Action Short (5 minutes or less)
“Bittersweet Memories” by Stephanie LI Yuqi
Hong Kong Design Institute (Tiu Keng Wan, Hong Kong)
“Dunce” by Joshua Walquist
University of Oklahoma (Norman, Oklahoma, U.S.)
“Mind Game” by Weisi Dai
School of Visual Arts (New York, U.S.)
“Transformation” by Nicolas Medrano
Polytechnic School (Pasadena, California, U.S.)
Innovative Use of Technology in an Experimental Short (3 min. or less)
“AEON” by Derek O’Dell
Chapman University (Orange, California, U.S.)
“Jazz Orgie” by Irina Rubina
Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (Ludwigsburg, Germany)
Innovative Use of Mobile Device or Tablet to Convey a Story — Narrative Short
“LONDON STRIKE” by Jiranant Kanjanagawin
University of Greenwich (London, U.K.)
“The Great Game of Men” by Le Han
Language Systems International College (Pasadena, California, U.S.)
Innovative Use of Analog Technologies in a Live Action Narrative Short (5 min. or less)
“Frenemy” by Andrew Paul Davis
Chapman University (Orange, California, U.S.)
“Home” by Vivian Lau
Emerson College (Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.)
Documentary Short With Technology as the Subject Matter (5 min. or less)
“Baylor VirtuOso Documentary Short on Use of Technology in VR Music Video” by Gustavo Raskowsky
Baylor University (Waco, Texas, U.S.)
Award winners for each category will be announced and presented at the festival. In addition, the Audience Choice Award will be voted on by attendees and presented at the conclusion of the festival.
“The student filmmakers entered in the SMPTE-HPA Student Film Festival come from academic programs around the world, presenting us with a truly global creative perspective from the next generation of filmmakers,” said Seth Hallen, president of HPA. “The vision for the future they have shown us is exciting, and I’m now certain, more than ever, that we are in for amazing things to come. HPA is proud to co-present this outstanding festival and will cheer on all of the filmmakers in October.”
Tickets to attend the 2017 SMPTE-HPA Student Film Festival are available with SMPTE 2017 registration packages or separately at www.smpte2017.org. Admission to the SMPTE-HPA Student Film Festival is free for students, and a $25 donation to benefit the SMPTE Education Fund is suggested for other attendees. Those that donate may use promo code SFF2017 to receive a complimentary exhibits-only pass for SMPTE 2017. Complimentary passes are limited to new exhibits-only registrations and may not be used for previous registrations, any other conference registration packages, and/or applied to special event ticket purchases.
