1 day. 24 Hours.1,440 minutes. 86,400 seconds. What could you, the reader, do with that amount of time?
For a talented group of University of Arkansas students, it was the chance to prove that each of their teams had the skill to produce a short film and screen it at the University Programs, 24-Hour Film Festival, an annual event that presented the challenge of developing a story, filming it, editing it and delivering it to the festival in a single day.
From mockumentaries to alien invasions to multiverses, the amount of entertainment that showed up on March 11th and 12th was impressive to say the least.
In the words of American Film Director, Robert Altman, “Filmmaking is a chance to live many lifetimes.”
The winner of the competition, Rae Woods, had that exact chance. Her mockumentary, The Opossum Holler Pickers, told the tale of two brothers – a banjo player and a recorder player on their “rise to fame, performing Taylor Swift and The Wiggles cover songs. A comedic endeavor in which Woods played both characters and highlighted her recently acquired skills of playing the banjo.
“I wrote a quick script at 8 in the morning right after waking up hoping that the delirium would make it interesting,” said Woods, “I filmed later in the afternoon so the time crunch would give me some motivation and that was that.”
Woods has a love for film and has “dabbled a bit in video making as a hobby.” She believed that the 24-Hour Film Festival would be the perfect outlet to share her passion with others.
University Programs, Digital Entertainment Chair, Maiya Cook described the festival as an opportunity to make “film production more inclusive to those with very little experience.”
This fun and creative way of bringing people together not only put pressure on the filmmakers but also on Cook.
“I felt a lot of pressure to make the event amazing since I was close to the former digital entertainment chair, Julie Haley, who made this event come to life last year,” Cook said. “I loved decorating the theatre and watching all the teams enjoy a delicious meal. I was definitely a big fan of emceeing and seeing everyone’s smile and their reactions to how hard they worked was very beautiful!”
The festival took place in the Union Theatre, a 247-capacity venue with stadium seating and a large projection screen. Additionally, the theater serves as a venue for plays, ceremonies, performers, movie screenings, and more. The Union Theatre also hosts classes Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Prior to the event, the Anne Kittrell Art Gallery hosted a dinner of tasty chicken, cheesy polenta, brûléed cheesecake and a number of other delectable dishes cooked up by the on campus catering team, Chartwells. The dinner gave filmmakers and guests to mingle with each other and make new friends and possibly future teammates.
Afterwards, the lights dimmed, the curtain opened and the show began. Films were played back-to-back and were graded not only by 3 official judges but by the audience too. People laughed, hugged and celebrated each other as each piece of art made its debut.
The Film Festival was an event that showcased the incredible student talent in film here at UARK,” said festival winner Woods. “I really enjoyed getting to see everyone’s creativity and direction with the prompts and timeframe given. I was awarded first place overall by the judges as well as the audience awards for crowd favorite, best character, and funniest line.”
University Programs (UP) is a volunteer student organization responsible for coordinating and planning over 100 events annually for the campus community. University Programs provides U of A students with cultural, educational, recreational, and entertainment experiences. Eight committees along with committee chairs and their executive officers select, schedule, and produce events such as concerts, movies, lectures, fine arts performances, and gallery exhibits. University Programs provides excellent opportunities to develop leadership skills and to gain practical experience in a variety of areas. Supported by an activity fee instituted in 1988, all events are free to the student body.