The annual “Last Looks Film Festival” is officially accepting submissions for the 2025 showcase, inviting student filmmakers to share their creativity, stories, and technical skills. 

Open to students of any major, the festival provides a platform to debut original work in front of the Oglethorpe community and have their work judged by Atlanta film professionals.  

This year’s festival promises to build on the success of previous years, specifically with the introduction of a new film and media studies course, FMS-290-003: Film Festival. Students enrolled in the class have studied the functionality and purpose of film festivals and are exploring ways Oglethorpe’s can be improved and marketed better. 

The festival aims to celebrate student filmmakers and expose them to the opportunities in the Atlanta film industry in hopes they’ll continue to seek their passion. 2024 winners Karla Ojeda ’24 and Justin Edwards ’25 took their work beyond campus, with their standout short film receiving recognition at other film festivals. 

Students can submit their work into the following categories: 

• Narrative: A 5-minute or less movie that has a fiction or fictionalized story and usually involves a screenplay (I.e., script) and actors. It can be based on an original idea, a dramatization of a real event, or an adaptation. 
• Documentary: A non-fiction film that is intended to “document” reality by providing information about situations/events involving “real” people; such films are often created to educate, entertain, and/or preserve history, and should critically investigate or interrogate the content presented.  
• Experimental: Experimental media incorporates abstract and/or non-narrative subject matter; these pieces often investigate form, use innovative techniques in the service of a filmmaker’s expression, expand or challenge filmmaking conventions, and/or strive to push the boundaries of traditional content. 
• Promotional: A promotional video typically advances the message of a particular brand, product, or organization. This might be a video-based advertisement, marketing, or commercial work. These videos are often produced in coursework, volunteer service, or as part of a job or internship. 

Students can submit their films online or in person to the Digital Media Lab Coordinator, Nick Zakos. The deadline to submit a film in any of the categories is Tuesday, December 3 by 5:00 p.m.

The festival will be held in Lupton Auditorium on Friday, February 28, 2025.