Brigham Young University students and alumni took up much of the screen time at this year’s LDS Film Festival, highlighting the talent and skills being nurtured here.
Christian Vuissa founded the festival in 2001 while he was still an undergraduate studying media arts studies at BYU. The festival is now a major event that showcases an impressive array of feature films, special screenings and short films. Although it was originally founded for LDS filmmakers to network with each other and showcase their work to an appreciative audience, the event has quickly turned into an opportunity for all likeminded individuals to promote their filmmaking trade. BYU students and alumni have taken part of the event every year since its inception. This year, three BYU alumni went home with awards from the festival:
- Third place in the Short Film Competition — Without a Rope, by Nick Dixon, who also received an audience choice award.
- Honorable Mention in Short Film Competition -White Earth, by Christian Jensen
- Third Place in the 24-Hour Filmmaking Marathon — Tooth Fairy: A New Hope, group led by Raven Alard
“Winning these awards is a great recognition,” said Nick Dixon, the creator of Without a Rope. “It's nice to know the work we put into the film was appreciated and that our hard work paid off. A lot of time and energy went into making the film, so getting recognized is really gratifying.”
Cokeville Miracle
Cokeville Miracle Other films made by Theatre and Media Arts students and alumnus included: Feature Films
- Freetown, Director: Garrett Batty; Writer: Melissa Leilani Larson, Garrett Batty; Producer: Adam Abel, Garrett Batty
- The Cokeville Miracle: Director: T.C. Christensen, actors included Kym Mellon, Barta Heiner
- Austenland: Director: Jerusha Hess; Writer: Jerusha Hess; Associate Producer: Jared Hess
- Meet the Mormons: Director, Blair Treu (Many media arts alums on the crew)
- Glimpses Beyond Death’s Door: Writer, Director, Producer: Brandon Smith; Executive Producer: Ron Brough
- The Heart of the Matter: Director: Jessica Mockett; Producer: Jessica Mockett, Nathan D. Lee, Jordan Harker; Director of Photography: Travis Cline
- Untitled Girl’s Camp Movie: Writer, Director: Maclain Nelson; Producer: Jake Van Wagoner, Lisa Clark, Hailey Smith, Clare Niederpruem; Executive Producer: Maclain Nelson; Director of Photography: Joel Remke; Production Designer: Anne Black
- Mythica: Director: Anne Black; Writer: Anne Black, Jason Faller, Kynan Griffin; Producer: Jason Faller, Kynan Griffin; Director of Photography: A. Todd Smith
- Survivor: Writer, Director, Producer: John Lyde; Executive Producer: Jason Faller, Kynan Griffin
Short Films
- Newsies: Director: Jeff Parkin; Producer: Jared Cardon, Jeff Parkin, Babetta Kelly; Director of Photography: Jacob Schwarz
- White Earth: Writer, Director, Producer: J. Christian Jensen; Director of Photography, Editor: J. Christian Jensen
- Without a Rope: Writer, Director: Nick Dixon; Producer: Willem Kampenhout; Executive Producer: Tom Russell, Courtney Russell, Tom Lefler; Director of Photography: Gary Groth; Production Designer: Gina Thompson; Original Score: Spencer Russell; Editor: Jonathan Ying.
Presentations and Panels
- Christian Vuissa
- Jerusha Hess
- Garrett Batty
- Studio C
A complete list of all those honored at the festival can be found by clicking, here.