Thursday, 6/5/97 Summer Showcase ‘UCLA Festival ’97: 100
Independent Voices’ highlights student films, animated shorts and
offers the UCLA community a chance to check out opportunities in
the theater and film industries
By Emily Forster and Stephanie Sheh Daily Bruin Senior Staff
UCLA film students are getting stressed out. As final projects are
rushed in and post-graduation job-searching looms ahead, many
members of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television are
starting to feel the heat. But there is help, in the form of "The
UCLA Festival ’97: 100 Independent Voices." "It’s a chance for
people to get in touch with people in the industry," says Kerryn Z.
Miller, creator of the animated short "The Beelzebub Ballet." "Last
year I had an entry in the festival and I ended up getting a couple
great opportunities because of it." These opportunities are just
part of "UCLA Festival ’97: 100 Independent Voices." As Hal
Ackerman, chair of the festival committee explains, there is a lot
in the festival for everyone. "It’s more than a film festival,"
Ackerman says. "It’s all of the creative work in the School of
Theater, Film and Television for the entire year. So all the films
that have been finished both by graduates and undergraduates in
live-action and animation will be shown over six nights." The
festival was not always quite so prolific. Ackerman has watched as
the film selection and festival activities have changed over the
past five years. "Over the last four or five years it’s really
expanded to quite a lot," Ackerman says. "Beyond just the showing
of films, there are also films shown at the Academy of Motion
Pictures Arts and Sciences, which are selected by a jury. They are
shown on Spotlight Night, and the films chosen are shown at the
Academy for the industry crowd, so the filmmakers are given a lot
of opportunity for exposure." In addition to Spotlight Night, the
festival also has forums on different areas in the media. All the
forums provide information for UCLA students who are looking for
different opportunities in media. "The festival this year includes
a day-long demonstration of digital media, and there will be a
day-long hands-on demonstration of all kinds of amazing new media
that people will be able to observe and participate in," Ackerman
says. "By now we have incorporated every aspect of the entire
School of Theater, Film and Television, where we have increased the
scope. It also has an evening of video reproductions and specific
nights for acting, animating, screenwriting, filmmaking and
playwriting. So basically, we’ve got it all." Perhaps the wide
range of topics explains the festival’s extreme popularity. It is
one of most the popular film festivals in the United States and
throughout the world. "The response has been amazing," Ackerman
says. "Last year every one of the Melnitz nights was sold out, the
digital media show was incredible, and the screenwriter’s night
drew a standing-room-only crowd. We have the largest festival
outside of Cannes here. It runs 14 events over eight days and
nights, so it’s really quite an astonishing festival." Not only is
the festival astonishing for its many activities, but also for its
originality. According to Ackerman, it is by far the most
impressive student film festival. While other universities display
student work, they do not show nearly as many films as UCLA’s does.
"Nobody has anything to the scope that we have here," Ackerman
says. "USC has some of their films displayed, but not all their
students make films. All our students make films, and every film
that gets made gets shown here as part of our festival." This year
more than 80 films, both animated and live action, will be shown.
Some of the films have already received recognition, like animator
Mark Dale Levine’s "Unborn Baby Blues," which garnered a 1997
Student Academy Award. As Levine explains, getting his film shown
on campus gives a kind of recognition that cuts closer to home.
"It’s nice to get more exposure, especially on campus," says
Levine, whose animated short will be shown several times during
different events. "Having a film shown in the community feels
really good, and getting it shown together with so many excellent
films is really an honor. Also it’s nice to see such diverse films
thrown together in one festival." Ackerman agrees that the
festival’s diversity is one of its greatest attributes. As he
explains, it is an important way to encourage burgeoning
filmmakers. "We call ourselves ‘100 Independent Voices’ because the
spirit of the filmmaker is independent," Ackerman says. "Especially
at UCLA, where we stress an independent voice rather than a studio
voice, each student is urged to make his or her films with an
individual voice. "We’ve used that name the last two years because
it really does express the spirit that the festival engenders and
that the school represents. We call it Festival ’97, but the entire
festival is called ‘100 Independent Voices’ because the independent
voice permeates all forms of media and all people involved in
them." FILM: "UCLA Festival ’97: 100 Independent Voices" will run
from June 6-14. To RSVP to all events, call (310) 825-5761. A
complete guide to Festival events is available at
http://www.tft.ucla.edu or if there are specific questions about
festival events, call the RSVP line. Marilyn Herlan plays Sister
Mary Alice and Devon Reeves plays Linda in "Linda," a film by
Vivien Lesnik Weisman. (above) Student director Mishca Livingstone
checks the frame on the set of "Purim Spiel." (left) Linda (Devon
Reeves) (right) puts on makeup as her mom looks on in "Linda." Both
movies will show during "The UCLA Festival ’97: 100 Independent
Voices." Related links: UCLA Festival 1997