Spring Break
Blu Moon Film Festival offers exposure for new filmmakers
Day filled with workshops for members of the local film community
Natalie Jurgen
Issue date: 5/28/08 Section: Features
ECU and the Magnolia Art Center presented the 2008 Blu Moon Film Festival on Saturday, May 3.
This day long event offered a variety of workshops and panel discussions, followed by a red carpet gala final screening of the prize-winning films in the A.J. Fletcher Music Building at 7 p.m.
The event drew a crowd of over 150 people from the eastern part of NC.
The Blu Moon Film Festival dates back to 2003 when then senior, Jesse Strong, fashioned the idea to encourage film, audio and visual-art students at ECU to get involved with something new.
The theme of this year's event was to display ECU and Eastern NC student films and give students and community members a chance to gain knowledge from working professionals.
Film categories ranged from drama, comedy, broadcast and documentary.
Nearly 50 submissions were received from NC high schools, ECU, UNCW and universities in Virginia.
A variety of free panel discussions were offered throughout the day on Saturday.
Available for discussion with event-goers were Mitchell Block, producer of the new PBS series "Carrier;" Destin Cretin, award-winning filmmaker and graduate student at San Diego State University; Aaron Syrett of the NC Film Commission; Steve Channing and Cynthia Hill from the Southern Documentary Fund and Barbara Trent from the Empowerment Project.
Free workshops such as The Independent Production for Documentary and Narrative, The Making of Award-Winning Short Films, Career Opportunities for Film/Production in North Carolina and The Power of the Media were available beginning at 9 a.m.
"The workshops were about exposing students to working professionals in NC and places like California," said Dr. Erick Green, one of the event organizers. "Each panelist is a working professional and has a different perspective on how to do films, make a living and start a career."
Thirteen films made it to the final screening and winners in each category were chosen by a combination of juries comprised of students and faculty.
In addition to these winners were the audience-choice winner, Steve Maguire and the grand prizewinner, Marisa Deluca.
Prizes ranging from $50 to $250 were awarded to those who were showcased and others won specific awards after their films were screened.
Plans for an even bigger and better Blu Moon Film Festival in 2009 are in the works, which will hope to include all of NC.
This writer can be contacted at news@theeastcarolinian.com
This day long event offered a variety of workshops and panel discussions, followed by a red carpet gala final screening of the prize-winning films in the A.J. Fletcher Music Building at 7 p.m.
The event drew a crowd of over 150 people from the eastern part of NC.
The Blu Moon Film Festival dates back to 2003 when then senior, Jesse Strong, fashioned the idea to encourage film, audio and visual-art students at ECU to get involved with something new.
The theme of this year's event was to display ECU and Eastern NC student films and give students and community members a chance to gain knowledge from working professionals.
Film categories ranged from drama, comedy, broadcast and documentary.
Nearly 50 submissions were received from NC high schools, ECU, UNCW and universities in Virginia.
A variety of free panel discussions were offered throughout the day on Saturday.
Available for discussion with event-goers were Mitchell Block, producer of the new PBS series "Carrier;" Destin Cretin, award-winning filmmaker and graduate student at San Diego State University; Aaron Syrett of the NC Film Commission; Steve Channing and Cynthia Hill from the Southern Documentary Fund and Barbara Trent from the Empowerment Project.
Free workshops such as The Independent Production for Documentary and Narrative, The Making of Award-Winning Short Films, Career Opportunities for Film/Production in North Carolina and The Power of the Media were available beginning at 9 a.m.
"The workshops were about exposing students to working professionals in NC and places like California," said Dr. Erick Green, one of the event organizers. "Each panelist is a working professional and has a different perspective on how to do films, make a living and start a career."
Thirteen films made it to the final screening and winners in each category were chosen by a combination of juries comprised of students and faculty.
In addition to these winners were the audience-choice winner, Steve Maguire and the grand prizewinner, Marisa Deluca.
Prizes ranging from $50 to $250 were awarded to those who were showcased and others won specific awards after their films were screened.
Plans for an even bigger and better Blu Moon Film Festival in 2009 are in the works, which will hope to include all of NC.
This writer can be contacted at news@theeastcarolinian.com
Be the first to comment on this story