Emerging student filmmakers invited to enter film festival

Students who love to be behind the camera, are invited to create a short film for the upcoming Student Okanagan Film Festival.

Now in its seventh year, organizers are calling for submissions of short films from a wide range of genres including narrative, mini-documentary, experimental, music videos and animation.

The film festival was initiated in 2014 by UBC Okanagan professors Michael V. Smith, Dan Keyes and Myron Campbell, with the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies. They continue to co-manage the event and screenings.

The festival began as a way to celebrate their students’ films in one screening, explains Campbell. The idea quickly morphed into an annual event that now includes films from any student in the Okanagan, including those in high school and college.

“We are so proud of the work our students are doing, so we created the event to allow them to present their films to the public on the big screen,” says Campbell.

Local emerging filmmakers are invited to submit their work for the chance to be included in the festival screening later this spring. To be eligible, the filmmaker must be a registered student in any Okanagan school and their film must have been produced anytime in 2022 or 2023.

A panel of jurors, consisting of faculty members and student volunteers, will narrow the selections. The festival will run for about one hour, showcasing the top films selected by the panel.

Submissions are due by April 15 and can be submitted at soft.ok.ubc.ca.

The Student Okanagan Film Festival is open to the public and the screening takes place at the Mary Irwin Theatre in Kelowna’s Rotary Centre for the Arts on May 8, starting at 7 pm. Admission is by donation, all proceeds go back into the festival programming for future years.