Asbury University’s School of Communication Arts is hosting the annual Highbridge Film Festival at 7 pm on April 13 in Hughes Auditorium. This is a collaborative event showcasing talent from across Asbury’s campus and beyond.
Students in the media communication department make films throughout the year for their classes, and some specifically for Highbridge. “There’s a big drive to get involved and do projects,” says Dr. Todd Wold, Assistant Professor of Communication and Public Relations. Students can submit their best work for a chance to be featured at the festival and even win awards. The submission deadline was March 29, upon which a team of professors reviewed the films, and the best were selected for the Highbridge showcase.
The films selected this year are:
“Love at First Sight” – Sam Santrock
“Voices She Sees” – Noah Clemente
“Racing the Empire” – Tyler Chong
“An Apple a Day”– Cameron Tapp
“Buddy” – Ian Wang
“Mount Olympus: Gas and Deli” – Tyler Chong & Sam Santrock
“Once Upon a Goodbye” – Anna Thatcher
“Plant Mom” – Carmen Clemente
“The LABtoB” – Tyler Chong
“Gone Viral” – Jed Davis (High School Film)
Given the limited time frame of the event, film length is capped at around eight minutes, so narrowing down the selection can be difficult. “We have a lot of films that are quality, so from there we look at how effective is the storytelling, and what do we bring to the audience,” says Wold. “Stories are the focus. Tell a good story.”
The films are presented to the student body, as well as a panel of judges who will decide which films to grant awards. “We find judges through networking with alumni in the industry and professors who work in film, media or TV. They have a lot of contacts, and we like to have a good variety since there are so many different roles,” explained Wold.
This year, three judges have been selected:
Christina Swanson – director, producer and screenwriter.
Swanson has a Master of Fine Arts from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame. She is on the Board of Trustees for Saint Mary’s College and a member of the advisory committee for Film Fatales and PANO Network. She directed television episodes for “Sweet Magnolias,” “Bel-Air,” “Chicago PD” and more. She was nominated for a Critics Choice award for Best Movie Made for TV, won a NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Directing in a TV Motion Picture and won 2020s Best TV Movie Award recipient from the African American Film Critics Association.
Matt Giblin – Cinematographer, Technology Director and Producer.
Giblin is an Asbury alum who is now the director of technology at AbelCine, identifying, providing and implementing new motion picture technologies to enable visual creatives. He has specialized in live capture technology, such as working the Special Olympics in Dubai, live filming Usher at the Las Vegas Sphere andTaylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour.”
Katie Hooten – Studio Executive and Producer.
Hooten is the Head of Studio at MPC Studio in Las Angeles and the founder of Hardy Howl Films. She has a feature development and production background and has produced with Bar Studio and The Third Floor in LA. She specializes in visual effects and has worked in animation, live-action, music videos and commercials. Hooten began her film career with the independent film “Chillicothe” (Sundance Film Festival, 1999). From there, she worked on films such as “Atlantis,” “Lilo and Stitch,” “Spirited Away” and “Treasure Planet.”
Highbridge reflects how the filmmaking industry works in a way that gives students good exposure and experience while still in school. “It’s a group effort, and you have to pull together people other than just yourself. The bigger the story, the more goes into it. We foster that collaborative environment,” says Wold.
All students are invited to attend Highbridge Film Festival. Tickets are for sale for $15 in the lobby of Doherty Dining Hall throughout the week, and they will also be available for purchase on the front steps of Hughes on the night of the event.