The Biola University cinema and media arts department held a film festival at the Downey Civic Theatre to showcase students’ work on May 10, 2012. The films ranged in genre from comedy to drama and in length from one to 20 minutes. Twenty-eight student films were submitted to the film festival.

Films were narrowed down by a panel of judges consisting of film professionals, Biola’s Studio Task Force members and professors.  They were judged in 14 different categories including cinematography, editing, acting and best picture. 


Junior film major and producer of the event, Hannah Brown, explained how encouraging the festival awards are for students.

“It shows students they can succeed in this industry and it gives them a sense of pride for their work,” said Brown.

The film festival was set up similarly to the Academy Awards. Senior Nick Chavez hosted the event and live entertainment was provided by Ashton Smith and Company, a dance troop from Bakersfield, California. During the awards ceremony, clips from the five major category winners were shown and “best picture” winning film was shown in its entirety.   

“The festival helps students encourage one another and have something to look forward to at the end of the year,” said Brown, adding that she had been looking forward to this event since her freshman year at Biola.

The festival assists in preparing students for the professional world of film, offering them a chance to determine if they are truly interested in the competitive nature of the industry.

In the future, the cinema and media arts department plans to take their festivals to the next level involving the community and possibly accept submissions from other local colleges.

Written by Tenielle Schroeder, Media Relations Intern. For more information, contact Jenna Bartlo, Media Relations Coordinator, at 562.777.4061 or at jenna.l.bartlo@biola.edu.