After the initial screening and directors talk was held Monday night, the secondary screening and awards ceremony for the Union Film Festival was held on Tuesday at 8 p.m. in Barefoots Joe.
The ceremony was hosted by assistant professor of communication arts Chris Blair and Cam Tracy. There were 17 different award categories that students from all different backgrounds competed for. There were eight films screened in total, six of which were competing for best short-form film, two which were competing for best long-form film and three which were competing for the SAC students’ choice award.
The SAC student’s choice, best short-form and best long-form awards had cash prize awards of $75, $125 and $150 respectively. With the exception of the SAC sponsored category, the awards were decided by Union alumni.
As the winners of the awards were announced, students stood on the stage to speak, or not. Many films won multiple awards, leading several to just shrug their shoulders as they passed the microphone on their way offstage. One director, sophomore digital media communications major Campbell Padgett, who submitted three short films to the festival, swept up 10 of the awards, including best long-form film. However, he was very humble about his winnings.
“I submitted half the films, so just statistically I was bound to get a lot of awards,” Padgett said. “It was pretty weird going up on that stage over and over. It made me look a lot more productive than I actually am.”
“Dirty Laundry” by junior digital media communications major Alex Russel won best short-form film. Not such a clear-cut victory, however, was the SAC students’ choice award, which tied between the films “The Stranger” and “The Runner.” Hosts Blair and Tracy said it was a first for the festival, as they gave awards to both films.
“The film festival is something I wish we had when I was a student,” Blair said. “There are so many things like that – I wish that we had when I was a student, and I’m glad that we have it now.”
The full list of winners is available on the Union events film festival page.
