Last week marked Furman’s inaugural juried student film festival. Generously supported by a Furman Humanities Center Grant, the Furman Film Festival was created to increase film presence on campus and provide an opportunity for students to make and showcase their own films.

Outside of a few communication courses and other class projects, there are not many opportunities at Furman for students to produce their own films, especially fictional ones. Recognizing the growing interest in film production on campus, Ava Shutze ‘25 sought to create a student film festival. Shutze and art history Professor Kylie Fisher, alongside media specialist Professor Mary Sturgill and peer collaborators Carly Gillis ‘25 and Ella Shutze ‘25, received the Furman Humanities Center Research Cluster Grant last summer to fulfill this project.

Established in 2020, the Furman Humanities Center, directed by Dr. Michele Speitz of the English department, supports students, faculty, staff and others to pursue diverse projects across the humanities.

During the fall 2024 semester, development for the festival included hosting two filmmaking workshops, intended to inspire the creation of original films for the festival. A screenwriting workshop, led by Professor of Theater Arts Aaron Ballard, led students through the basics of making a short film screenplay. Lastly, a storyboard workshop, headed by Writing and Media Lab director Jean Schwab, taught students how to translate their screenplay into visuals in preparation for filming.

Submissions for the festival opened at the start of the current spring semester, accepting student-made films no longer than 20 minutes. Students could use any equipment, from their own cameras and cell phones to camera and microphone equipment supplied by the Writing and Media Lab. They could also submit films made within the last year, including those created for course assignments.

The official Festival programming kicked off Thursday, March 13 with a Cultural Life Program in Burgiss Theater, titled “From Book to Movie: Literary Adaptation for the Screen.” Award-winning filmmaker Chris White ’92 and author Dr. Tara Isabella Burton talked about the process of translating Dr. Burton’s novel “Here in Avalon” into a movie. On Friday the 14, students, faculty and staff met with Dr. Burton for a casual meet and greet where she discussed details about her novel, writing process, doctorate thesis and tips for aspiring writers.

Around 100 people attended the film festival screening on Friday evening, including all filmmakers as well as their friends, families and members of the community. The festival showcased a total of 15 student films, ranging from narrative fiction to animation and documentary. Eight were from Furman University students, several made just for the event, and seven were from other schools in the state, including South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, Palmetto High School, Anderson 1 & 2 Career & Technology Center and the University of South Carolina.

After a catered reception, the screening started off with shorts and documentaries. Following an intermission, part two showcased longer short films. Once the screenings concluded, the judges chose a winner while the audience casted their votes for the “audience choice” award. With the help of Professor Geoff Gunn, the festival mirrored models of other notable film festivals by playing the films in an uninterrupted sequence.

Judges included Dr. Tara Isabella Burton, Chris White and Clay Johnson, an Emmy award-winning television producer, writer and journalist.

After a brief deliberation, the judges announced the festival’s winners:
Best Overall: “Lost in it All” by Adams Keefer
Best Furman Runner Up: “Huff & Puff” by Lucy Gamblin
Best Non-Furman Runner Up: “Master of Puppets” by Whittaker Simon
Audience Choice: “ANother Side” by Long Nguyen

With the revival of the Furman Film Club this year as well as other students wanting to continue the festival next year, Furman’s film presence and community will only continue to grow. Keep an eye on the Furman Humanities Center website and social media accounts for future information about the festival.