After creating the 5 Minute Film Festival as a student, assistant professor Grant Dillion is now directing and running the event on April 25 at 8 p.m. in the Benson Auditorium.
Dillion said the best films from the festival will receive guidance and financial assistance from the Harding University Film Studies Association toward submitting their films to larger national and international film festivals.
Dillion said university film festivals are typically made up of film students. Since Harding doesn’t have a film program, students from all different departments and majors produce the films.
“I love seeing students make films who have no formal training or experience,” Dillion said. “It ends up being a collection of the most creative people on campus, and you never know what you’re going to see.”
Dillion said the only requirements for the festival are that the films have a runtime of less than five minutes and must not contain any content that is not Harding appropriate.
“Anyone with a camera and a passion to tell a story should submit a film,” Dillion said.
Junior Kidron Cannon has submitted a video in two 5 Minute Film Festivals. This year he will be submitting two videos. One of his videos, about unicycling, recently won an award in the Chattanooga Local Hero Project, a film festival focused on outdoor activities. His other video is a documentary about a mixed martial arts fighter. Cannon said the festival is a great way for students to get their work and name out there.
“Film festivals are great experiences for filmmakers,” Cannon said. “They provide a chance to get feedback from a large audience and have your film played in front of a lot of people.”
Junior Jacob Norwood will be hosting the 5 Minute Film Festival this year. Norwood said his job involves introducing each film before it plays, leading Q-and-A sessions with filmmakers and keeping things moving. Norwood will be submitting one of his own videos into the festival titled “The Lone Rubberband Man,” a western inspired by the Chi Sigma Alpha tradition of playing “Assassin” every spring. Norwood said the festival is a chance for students to flex their creative muscles and puts students at the forefront to allow them to express themselves.
“It might seem intimidating to think about submitting a short film to a festival,” Norwood said. “Maybe you don’t feel like you know a thing about filming or don’t think you have anything to say. But if you have an idea you think would be entertaining, you can film it on an iPhone for all I care. Just make it. That’s what this film festival is all about.”
