The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®), a leader in motion-imaging standards and education for the communications, media, entertainment, and technology industries, and the Hollywood Post Alliance® (HPA®), the organization serving the professional community by providing expertise, support, tools, and the infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television, commercials, and multiplatform content, have announced the winners of the inaugural SMPTE-HPA Student Film Festival.
Held Tuesday, Oct. 27, in Hollywood, California, following the Opening Night Reception for the SMPTE 2015 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2015), the film festival showcased submissions demonstrating creative uses of technology in storytelling. SMPTE and the HPA received submissions from all over the world, and the 12 official selections shown at SMPTE 2015 represented Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, the U.K., the U.A.E., and the U.S.
The event was hosted by film director Howard Lukk, who joins the SMPTE staff as director of standards and engineering in January. Following the screening of official selections in SMPTE-DCP format, courtesy of Sundog Media Toolkit, six films earned awards in four categories:
Best Creative Use of Technology to Engage the Audience in the Story
♦ "Soulmates" by Diego Manssur, Vancouver Film School, Canada (5 minutes)
♦ "After Invasion" by Oleg Smykalov, Vancouver Film School, Canada (30 seconds)
Best Portrayal of Entertainment Technology in the Film – Documentary Format
♦ "Virtual Reality Cinema Project" by Anna Dining, Rochester Institute of Technology, U.S. (5 minutes)
♦ "Girl and the Sea" by Aya Al Gergawy, American University of Sharjah, U.A.E. (30 seconds)
Best Creative Use of Virtual Reality in Storytelling
♦ PhaseShift" by Louis Arrigoni, Southampton Solent University, U.K.
Best in Show (audience award)
♦ "Building for the Future: A City Tech Tale" by Jonathan Burcin, Nicholas J. Burt-Miller, Diana V. David, André Gabriel, Jean L. Garcia, Joseph Larsen, Jeffrey N. Lawrence, Anjali Rawat, Gregory A. Scott, NYC College of Technology/CUNY, U.S.
"Our first film festival was a great success in showcasing the talent of up-and-coming members of the media industry, and also in demonstrating the powerful connection between creative and technical innovation," said Leon Silverman, HPA president. "The global nature and quality of submissions this first year was quite impressive, and we look forward to increasing submissions and interest in this important event focused on the future."
Film festival jurors included filmmaker Patrick Creadon; editor and technology consultant Dave Ginsberg; Peter Girardi of Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) and Blue Ribbon Content (BRC); cinematographer, editor, and director Bobby Hewitt; director of photography Travis LaBella; Patricia Keighley of IMAX Corporation; A. Dale "Bud" Mayo of Carmike's Alternative Programming and Distribution; documentary marketing and distribution expert Evan Saxon; Ted Schilowitz of 20th Century Fox and Barco; Richard Welsh of Sundog Media Toolkit Ltd.; and Nick Dager, editor and publisher of the website Digital Cinema Report.
The SMPTE Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition is the premier annual event for motion-imaging and media technology, production, operations, and the allied arts and sciences. The SMPTE 2016 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2016), including the 2016 SMPTE-HPA Student Film Festival, will take place Oct. 24-28, 2016, at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles. Information regarding submissions for the 2016 festival will be posted at www.smpte.org/film-festival in January.
Further information about SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org.
About the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®)
The Oscar® and Emmy® Award-winning Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®), a professional membership association, is a leader in the advancement of the art, science, and craft of the image, sound, and metadata ecosystem, worldwide. An internationally recognized and accredited organization, SMPTE advances moving-imagery education and engineering across the communications, technology, media, and entertainment industries. Since its founding in 1916, SMPTE has published the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal and developed more than 800 standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines.
More than 6,000 members — motion-imaging executives, engineers, creative and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students — who meet in Sections throughout the world, sustain the Society. Through the Society's partnership with the Hollywood Post Alliance® (HPA®), this membership is complemented by the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide the expertise, support, tools, and infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television programs, commercials, digital media, and other dynamic media content. Information on joining SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org/join.
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