Hannah Whelan
In Motion Staff Writer
Daytona Beach’s Cinematique Theater played host to the third annual Florida Movie Festival March 18-20 with a host of unique films including those that impressed and others that left audiences thinking, “Hmmmm.”
The festival gave locals, as well as residents statewide, the opportunity to submit student made, privately-produced independent short films. It also featured movies from around the world, with submissions from Germany in separate categories to appear during screenings throughout the weekend.
Taking place in various locations around the heart of Daytona Beach, the three-day event included venues such as the Cinematique Theater on Beach Street, Mayan Inn on Ocean Avenue and the Daytona Beach Regional Library on Magnolia Avenue. This was the first time the festival has been held locally. For a list of winning entries from this year’s event, go to floridamoviefestival.com.
The second day of the fest consisted of events such as coffee with an entertainment attorney, casting and directing workshops with movie experts, and an entire afternoon dedicated to locally directed and produced films and student films.
“Cinematique looks forward to hosting more events that are going to promote student filmmaking at a student level and giving students the opportunity to get their films seen by a larger audience,” said Cinematique owner Stephanie Mason-Teague.
One of the films, “Bitter Crop,” told the story of a young girl yearning for adulthood who steals her father’s cigarettes, but in a surprise ending her younger sister shows who is really the mature one. Student filmmaker Marcus Armstrong of Orlando attended Seminole State College, has a degree in Digital Cinema and Film Production and is owner of Mud Club Films.
Allison Cooper of Miami, 21, a student film contributor and volunteer in the Florida Movie Festival, submits her films to many movie festivals around the state that support the smaller independent film movement.
“I love to submit and attend the festivals because you never know who will be there that you could possibly connect with. There could be someone who will help you for the rest of your career or be the foot in the door that you need.”
Student submissions consisted of films from colleges around the state such as Florida State University, University of Central Florida and Full Sail University in Orlando. In attendance were many of the directors of the short films, as well as representatives from universities that support the film making initiative through clubs on their campuses.
Austin Sanchez from the University of Central Florida represented his college’s screenwriting club, which promotes up-and-coming student filmmakers and voice actors. Students who are in the Direct Connect to UCF program at Daytona State and are interested in filmmaking are invited to attend the club’s script reading meetings on various dates.
Cinematique also hosts other festivals that invite student filmmakers to debut their work. Through the year, the venue presents the Daytona Beach Film Festival, the Luna Festival, Zombie Festival, a Jewish Film Series, and NOOR Iranian Film Festival, held in conjunction with Daytona State College.
Festival event coordinator Nelson Rodriguez says that he hopes to bring this festival back to Daytona Beach for a fifth festival and future festivals in years to come.