A college-aged fashion designer. A stuffed basset hound. World War II. These are just a few of the subjects from the widely diverse crop of films in this year's Penn State Student Film Festival, a selection of films by Penn State students that will be shown at 6:30 tonight in Schwab Auditorium.

"There is something for everyone to enjoy," said Student Film Organization President Jen Shelley (junior-film/video). "This is going to be the best festival since I've been here."

Submissions were open to all majors and a panel of six judges whittled the 37 films entered for consideration down to the 13 that will be shown.

The panel included Penn State alumnus Nick Grace, Philosophy professor John Christman, English professor Sanford Schwartz, and Communications professors Kevin Hagopian, Pamela Monk, and Jeremy Packer.

This group met for five-and-a-half hours on to screen and evaluate the submissions.

"What I was looking for was, 'How interesting or creative was the core idea and how technically well was it constructed?'" Christman said of the evaluation process.

In addition to choosing which films made the cut, the judges also gave out specific awards in several categories such as acting, directing and best overall film. The winners of those awards will not be revealed until the awards ceremony that follows the festival.

The festival is about more than awards though, Festival Director Lauren Bellizzi (junior-film and video) said.

"It's a good opportunity for those who worked hard all year to have their films screened," she said.

"It's way for them to see that the hard work paid off."

Brian Stone (senior-film and video), whose The Great Works of Toby Marsh is one of the films selected for the festival, agreed with Bellizzi's sentiments.

"People think filmmakers are running around daydreaming, playing Spielberg, but actually that's not the case. We put a lot of hard work into these films," Stone said.

"The Student Film Festival is a great opportunity to show our education in practice, for our teachers and our families and friends."

The festival will certainly showcase unique, alternative films, including documentaries and experimental films in addition to traditional narratives.

"The festival's a great opportunity to see what can be done with film," Christman said, referring to innovations in some of the films' narrative and cinematic techniques.

"The Multiplex movies don't try the things that are tried here."

In addition to tonight's screening, there will be additional screenings on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night for other student films. At 6:30 tomorrow night, in 101 Thomas, students who took Comm 242 in the last two semesters are invited to showcase their films to a general audience.

Likewise for junior films and documentary films at 7 p.m. on Saturday in 113 Carnegie and for senior films at 7 p.m. on Sunday in the same room.

Levi Abrino (senior-film and video), Treasurer of SFO and director of Burying Dvorak, said that all of the festivals this weekend have a great significance.

"I think the festivals act as a type of forum for student voice in the medium of cinema," Abrino said. "Unfortunately, not all films can be screened Thursday evening. I encourage students and community members to attend multiple screenings to witness the full breadth of the student work."

Tickets are available at Eisenhower Auditorium and are free of charge.

---

'Centralia'

Director: Roeland Doust (graduate-geoscience)

Genre: Documentary

Synopsis: Doust's documentary is an exploration of a coal mine pit fire that has raged in a mine in Centrailia, Pa., for 40 years, unaided by the government. "I set out to make this film, because I was interested in the scientific aspects of the fire, but I soon realized the human story was so much more powerful," Doust said.

'The Great Works of Toby Marsh'

Director: Brian Stone (senior-film and video)

Genre: Dramatic narrative

Synopsis: Toby, a 10-year-old boy, who is neglected at home, receives enouragement for his writing skills from his teacher and classmates; that is, until a better writer joins the class and Toby must struggle to regain his place. "We wanted to do something different, something challenging," said Stone, who doubled as cinematographer for the scenes shot in the spring semester. "And, also, I wanted to make something I could show my family and my little cousins so they could see what my hard work went towards; [The Great Works of Toby Marsh] isn't violent or filled with bad language."

'Exposure'

Director: Tara White (junior-film and video and art)

Genre: Drama/Art

Synopsis: A crime scene photographer's humdrum life is jolted when he falls in love with one of his subjects. With virtually no dialogue, White's primarily visual film makes innovative use of lighting and framing.

'Soldaten'

Director: Ryan Lizardi (senior-film and video)

Genre: War Drama

Synopsis: Set during the last few days of World War II, the film follows four American soldiers who are forced to deal with each other before they can deal with the enemy. "This film is relevant to the situation the country is in right now," Lizardi said. "It's about the idea that for soldiers in war, ethics don't apply in the traditional sense. Sometimes it's not always about making the right decision, but about the way you relate to one another."

'I've Been to a Marvelous Party'

Director: Alice Teeple (senior-integrative arts)

Genre: Musical/Experimental

Synopsis: This short film reflects the feel of Divine Comedy's
adaptation of Noël Coward lyrics, which combine modern musical elements with 1920s prose. Teeple said of the film: "The energy from [crew members] Kim and Christy's playful live action directing neatly compliments my own animated visions of silent movie stars throwing a giant party. We're proud to represent Integrative Arts in the film festival, while demonstrating the powerful potential of digital filmmaking."

'Dawn'

Director: Adica Manis (junior-filma and video)

Genre: Drama

Synopsis: An adaptation of Elie Wiesel's novella by the same name, this film is the story of Elisha, an 18-year-old Holocaust survivor, who has been recruited for the Zionist Movement in Palestine. It follows him through the night up until dawn, when he has to execute a hostage."Everyone who worked on this film was amazing and inspiring," Manis said. "We all learned from each other, and we can only hope that the people who watch it enjoy it half as much as the people who made it."

'Burying Dvorak'

Director: Levi Abrino (senior-film and video)

Genre: Comedy

Synopsis: This quirky film is a coming of age comedy about a 14-year-old boy and his stuffed basset hound.

'Red/Blue'

Director: Joseph Hicks (sophomore-film and video)

Genre: Experimental

Synopsis: Hicks has combined three 2-minute films with Red/Blue, linking them together with spray-painted notecards. The content involves an alarm clock, the song "How Dry I Am," and an especially messy breakup respectively. "I wanted to see what I could do in my apartment without a tripod or a battery," Hicks said. "Including [Red/Blue] in the Festival is really celebrating wasting time in my apartment instead of studying."

'David Was Here'

Director: Jeffrey Powers (junior-film and video)

Genre: Documentary

Synopsis: David was Here is a documentary about an artist from Philadelphia who leaves his paintings in various locations for people to take for free. The film explores why he leaves his paintings out for free and his impact on the Philadelphia art community. David, the artist, is expected to come to the film festival and will be leaving his paintings for people to pick up as they leave.

'Boys Will Be Frogs'

Director: Brian Kavanagh (senior-film and video)

Genre: Comedy

Synopsis: Robert has second thoughts about dissecting a frog in his biology class when he realizes he can communicate telepathically with it in this comedy of friendship and nonconformity.

'The Jumprope Project'

Directors: James Vo (junior-film and video) & Tara White

Genre: Documentary

Synopsis: A jump rope is used as a catalyst to explore childhood playtime experiences in different generations.

'The Last Dream'

Directors: Andy Bouve (senior-film and video) and Josh Boyle (senior-film and video)

Genre: Experimental

Synopsis: "Dreams are dying. Yours, mine, everyone's." Without them, imagination and creativity are lost. Something has taken them all away and none of you have even noticed. There is only one little girl in this world who still dreams and the Sandman's existence depends on her.

'Unzipped'

Directors: Lauren Bellizzi (senior-film and video), Megan Beshalske (junior-film and video), Jen Shelley (junior-film and video)

Genre: Documentary

Synopsis: This is a profile of young fashion designer Jay Ott, who has had an interest in fashion since the age of three. "I'm interested in the fasion industry, because I think it parallels film in many ways," Shelley said. "It's a creative industry that requires a lot of passion."