The Electronic Media Area of the West Virginia University School of Art & Design is pleased to announce the screening of the 4th Annual West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival. This international, competitive film festival takes place over a three-day period, March 15-17, at the Creative Arts Center.
Admission is free and open to the public. Please visit the festival website for updated times and locations: www.mountaineerfilmfest.org.
The West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival celebrates exceptional, compelling, and innovative works in film, experimental video and animation.
Over the course of three days, the festival will screen dozens of films, videos and animations from across the country and around the world, including new and original works from countries such as Russia, Belgium, Spain, France, Germany, Ireland and Finland.
The festival will also showcase works by West Virginia and regional filmmakers, including special screenings from West Virginia Filmmakers Martha Stephens, Elaine McMillion and David Smith, as well as Pittsburgh filmmakers Leonard Lies and Michael Lies. All five filmmakers will be on hand to discuss issues relating to filmmaking, including the challenges of practicing the craft in West Virginia and Appalachia, and issues relating to filmmaking as a form of social advocacy.
The festival is also proud to screen competitive works by students of the School of Art & Design’s Electronic Media program.
“The festival also strives to highlight topical themes in contemporary culture, especially those that help define the experience of life in West Virginia and Appalachia,” said Gerald Habarth, organizer of the festival and an art professor who coordinates the Electronic Media area.
“This year the festival will present a special screening of works that explore the theme of identity, in particular works that challenge stereotypes, or that probe the nature of identity itself, questioning what it means, how it’s acquired and whether we can really talk of an ‘authentic’ identity,” he said.
Challenging stereotypes of rural West Virginian identity for example, Elaine McMillion’s interactive documentary project “Hollow” turns the traditional power of the documentarian’s camera back onto the viewer as residents of McDowell County, W.Va., participate in the filmmaking process to tell their own story, and to discuss the many stereotypes associated with the area, population loss and potential for the future.
McMillion will attend the festival to show an excerpt from her ongoing project and to discuss her work.
Also this year, for the first time, the West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival is proud to host the First Annual GPS Art Auction.
“This silent auction of artworks by WVU School of Art & Design students, faculty and artists from the community will help establish a scholarship fund to support student participation in the School’s exciting new Global Positioning Studies program,” Habarth said.
“Members of the community are also invited to submit work to support the auction. The auction will take place in the Creative Arts Center’s main lobby on March 16, with works remaining on display throughout the weekend.”
For more information about the auction, contact Daniela Londono, WVU School of Art & Design student at: dlondono@mix.wvu.edu
Established in 2010, The West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival is an international competition, accepting submissions in the categories of narrative, documentary, animation, experimental video and student works. Its mission is to foster creative and artistic approaches to these genres, while connecting WVU students and the surrounding Morgantown community to the world of independent filmmaking and new media art.
The festival is a non-profit event. There is no charge to submit work for consideration, and admission to all screenings is free. There are no rules governing content or artist approach. Festival organizers only seek to display well crafted, compelling or conceptually challenging works in video, film and multimedia. All festival films have a 20-minute maximum running time.
For more information, contact Gerald Habarth at Gerald.Habarth@mail.wvu.edu, phone 304-290-3067, or see website for further details: www.mountaineerfilmfest.org.
