Oglethorpe student filmmakers recently showcased their creative film projects to an enthusiastic crowd at the annual Last Looks Student Film Festival.
Lupton Auditorium was filled with excitement as attendees and film creators walked the red carpet and grabbed their favorite movie snacks before the 32 submitted films were shown to the audience and judges.
This year’s festival judges were all industry professionals from the Atlanta film community:
- Ellen Barnard, co-owner and executive producer of Tomorrow Pictures Inc.
- Bill Burton, award-winning cinematographer of feature films, scripted television series, documentaries, and TV commercials
- Karen Ceesay, Atlanta-based actor, writer, and producer
- Jane Cole, Emmy-winning director and producer
- Kristen McGary, Atlanta-based director, writer, and producer
Students were invited to submit films in four categories: promotional, experimental, documentary, and narrative, and to compete for the Weltner Consulting Agency-sponsored award for “Capturing Culture.”
In addition to awards in each film category, the festival also named the “Best Overall,” which was awarded to Karla Ojeda ’24 and Justin Edwards ’25 for their film “Janitor 988.”
“Grateful cannot begin to explain how I feel,” said Ojeda. “Having industry professionals speak highly of something that Justin and I worked so hard on was thrilling.”
The two students used their film project to spread awareness of mental health issues, a topic that has directly affected Edwards and was important for him to highlight.
“The best part of the film festival for me was experiencing it with my mom, who was able to attend,” said Edwards. “She knows how hard I worked and was beyond proud of me. I’ll never forget her being there to celebrate the moment with me.”
“The other best part was getting to share a message about topics bigger than myself. The subject matter highlighted in ‘Janitor 988’ is extremely close to my heart, as I am someone who has had a long battle with mental health. The struggles have made me determined to use my platform to spread awareness about topics we don’t speak about enough.”
A total of 32 student entries were submitted to the film festival:
- “A Dream of Gene Editing” by Isaiah Holliday
- “Bedroom” by Sabrina De Camargo Cruz
- “Burning Passenger & Flight” by Joseph Lincoln
- “Call” by Akeem Harrison and Maro Innocent-Otolo
- “Canceled in Pop: The Ariana and Doja Effect” by Niya Young, Hannah Banfiel, Maro Innocent-Otolo, and Jonah Costen
- “Challenges, Comics, & Community Ties” by Andrew Howard and Darwin Perez
- “Chase” by Paul Danner
- “Fargo Scene Recreation” by Kennedy Bell
- “Georgia’s Tranquil Gem” by Cris Peñuela
- “Good Hands” by Logan Conton
- “Happy Home” by Justin Edwards
- “Homesick” by Gabriela Dumar
- “Horse For Sale” by Michael Fasquelle
- “How Can We Get Better at Accepting Death?” by Kennedy Bell
- “How Gossip Travels” by Grace Fettinger
- “Jack” by Brody Young
- “Janitor 988” by Karla Ojeda and Justin Edwards
- “Late for Work” by Coltrane Cheatham
- “Leave a Light On” by Emma Jean Scott
- “Lifted: A Gymshark Spec Ad” by Ike Ogueri
- “MANEATER” by Jaden Poindexter, Olivia Else, and Emily Suarez
- “Mindful Mentality” by Larissa Williams
- “Shower Thoughts” by Imani Alsobrook
- “Speculo” by Niya Young
- “The Finger- Part 1” by Logan Conton
- “The Man Who Ended the World (Part One) by Evan Williams
- “the sun wept, and the moon listened” by Jaidyn Carter
- “Trailer for “Pink: A Lighter Tint of Red” by Isabel Berlin
- “Undocumented” by Devlynn Miller and Erika Zepeda
- “Weighing Choices” by Lea Spears and Terrell White
- “What are Ostriches (Humans) for?” by Devlynn Miller
- “Zero-Sum Game” by Isabel Berlin
From these, the judges named the following winners in their respective categories:
Best Overall: “Janitor 988” by Karla Ojeda and Justin Edwards
2nd Best Overall: “The Man Who Ended the World (Part One) by Evan Williams
3rd Best Overall: “Jack” by Brody Young
Narrative: “Leave a Light On” by Emma Jean Scott
Documentary: “Mindful Mentality” by Larissa Williams
Experimental: “Shower Thoughts” by Imani Alsobrook
Promotional: “Lifted: A Gymshark Spec Ad” by Ike Ogueri
Capturing Culture 1st Place: Homesick” by Gabriela Dumar
Capturing Culture 2nd Place: “the sun wept, and the moon listened” by Jaidyn Carter
Capturing Culture 3rd Place: “Janitor 988” by Karla Ojeda and Justin Edwards
“We are so proud of all of our students and the work they have done,” says Dr. Katharine Zakos, program coordinator for film and media studies.
“The festival provides a space to celebrate our emerging filmmakers and a great opportunity for students to network with industry professionals. Those who submit get to have their work seen by potential future employers and receive valuable feedback from the judges. We look forward to continuing the tradition in the years to come!”
This year’s winners will speak about their film projects at the 2024 Liberal Arts and Science Symposium.
