Dim the lights, close the curtains, now take a seat and let the festivities begin.
Tuesday, Sept. 22, Cineclub held a film festival allowing students to share their creativity with others through film. The requirements were simple: create a 2-7 minute film featuring a rubber duck, a character without eyes and the phrase “This is the only home I’ve ever known.”
The lights dimmed, the host John Pastor dressed in a dapper suit with a spiffy red bow tie blacked out the windows with curtains, tea light candles lined the rows of chairs as they flicked inside small white paper bags, audience members snacked on lemon bars, the noise hushed as everyone took their seats in anticipation. The mood was set.
“The lighting and single lamp kept the mood constant. They did a good job maintain the mood” said Hannah Fish, an audience member.
“I felt like I was at the academy awards. The host was very authentic!” Jordan Konkler said.
“It was a quack up!” said Stephanie Sugai.
Judges Dr. Jim Hills, Nathan Greer, Alex Gowan and a random member selected from the audience, sat in the front rows, pens and paper in hand. There were 5 awards to be given: The “Granny would Love it,” “Most Experimental,” “Best Performance,” “Best Concept,” and “Best Picture.”
“I like that they had a variety of aspects to be awarded for” said Fish.
Winning the “Granny would Love it” award was the film “So You Think You can Duck” by Hannah Hodgson. Her film reminded me of the “Ugly Duckling,” as it featured the concept of not fitting in. The plot line was a girl who longed to be a duck therefore wore a duck mask over her face at all times. The ducks rejected her and made her leave home. Along the journey she ran into a friendly stranger who became her friend.
Winning the “Most Experimental” award was the film “Conversations with a Duck” by Adrian Garrido. The plot presented the idea of coming to grips with our struggles and how they compare with the struggles of the world, such as terrorist attacks and natural disasters. As Adrian pondered life a rubber duck was his faithful listening companion.
The film “Spoken Bird” by Steven Sullivan won the “Best Performance” award. His film consisted of spoken word in which he compared out life to that of a duck. We all have a purpose we were made to fulfill.
“Waldo” by Hannah Calkins won the award for “Best Concept.” Her story was about Waldo’s friend Wenda who was searching for a new home, a place to hide. She searched far and wide for a new home, but her efforts seem futile as her hideaway was discovered.
Fish explained she liked this story a lot for its use of the rubber duck prop. “She used the props without making it about the props.”
Lastly, the award for “Best Picture” went to Seth Danley and his film “Patrick and His Many Mothers.” His plot modeled the book “Are You My Mother?” by P.D. Eastman. The rubber duck in this film discovered he was adopted and set out on a journey to find his birth mother, a journey which ended as a success.
“I liked the story line. It went deeper than I thought it could go” Sugai said.