Campus MovieFest wrapped up its third year at Cal State Long Beach with an all-new set of student films headed to Hollywood. The student film festival hosted a screening of the top 16 films in a handful of genres, including comedy and drama.
Students gathered Thursday night at the University Student Union theater to screen the short-films submitted by students at CSULB. Campus MovieFest is an annual short film competition that provides students with a free HD camera and MacBook Pro, challenging them to conceive a movie idea, build a production team and film a five-minute picture in one week.
The campus finalists in the main categories, “Best Comedy,” “Best Drama,” “Best Crime Drama” and “Best Picture” are entered into the next round of screenings in Hollywood, where finalists all across the U.S. compete for a trip to the Cannes Movie Festival.
The “Best Picture” award went to “The Cart,” written, directed and filmed by film and electronic arts major Carlos Mendez. Mendez painted an elaborate picture of Los Angeles’ homeless population, using a cart as a metaphor for both life and leisure. Giving a voice to the invisible, the film shined a light on issues that many people turn a blind eye to.
“I like the power of film,” Mendez said. “I like how it changes people’s mind about life.”
“Best Comedy” went to “Lot 2,” a comical exaggeration directed by Shanea Woods, who also went home with the “Best Actress” award. “Best Drama” went to “A Light Within Us,” from 2011’s “Best Picture” winner Saul Cervantes, who won last year for his short film, “The Best Summer of My Life.” And “Best Crime Drama” went to “Hacker,” directed by Joel Michael.
The 52 unrecognized films that earn the most views on the CMF website will be selected as the “Wild Card” and snag a spot at the Hollywood CMF screening.
To watch the films and vote for your favorite, visit the CSULB section of CampusMovieFest.com.
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