Big Lens is back! Only 144 people will have the opportunity to be the first audience of the latest works from the award-winning Motion Pictures program at WSU, screening August 22 at the Neon Movies. This year, Big Lens kicks off opening night at the annual FilmDayton Festival (August 22 – 25, www.filmdayton.com). This weekend of feature films, short films, documentaries, and award winners from Sundance and South by Southwest will have Ohio premieres all weekend long!
In years past, the Big Lens film festival has been used as a launching pad for many WSU films, which have gone on to screen at Sundance, win Student Academy Awards, and play at major film festivals all around the globe! This show will include premieres of entirely new films, diverse in their subject matter and style. Concluding the evening, a question-and-answer session will be held with the young filmmakers, who are eager to discuss their works. This year’s Big Lens includes, for the first time, FOUR films directed by women. Like its predecessors, Big Lens 2013 will no doubt entertain, educate, enlighten, and excite. Make sure to get your tickets at the Neon for $7.00 before they are sold out! Check out the roster:
Ember, written and directed by Maggie Rose Price, is a film that deals with the emotional and psychological trauma that comes with a history of violence. Still reeling from child abuse, a young woman searches for closure in an unusual way. A powerful and harrowing depiction of a survivor, Ember gives a voice to subject matter often left in the dark. Produced by Ellen Swisher with cinematography by Michael Lowendick.
Anomaly, written and directed by John Swansiger, recounts the story of David Worthington who is the final test subject of a new chemical experience which gives people the illusion of physically reliving a memory. After suffering nearly fatal side effects David is withdrawn from the project. Despite his failing health, and driven by his addiction to the new product, David tries everything he can to go back to the memory and see a person of his past one last time. Produced by Colin Brooks with cinematography by Christopher Flannery.
Punk Girl, the first narrative short by filmmaker team Megan Hague and Kyle Wilkinson is a day in the life portrait of a young punk who rebels against the static middle-class life she was offered as a child. She searches for freedom in a series of one-night-stands, graffiti art, and punk shows while quietly longing to rekindle a severed connection with her family. Produced by Emily Anne Evans.
Punches and Pedicures, a documentary by filmmaker team Ash Brandon and Dennis Hohne, tell the story of Victor Pham, a Vietnamese immigrant who successfully escaped a life full of gang activity by moving from Oakland, California to rural Defiance, Ohio. Now the owner of his own business, Victor strives to inspire local youth to overcome lives filled with trouble. He does so by mentoring them in one of the most brutal of sports in the most unlikely of places.
Before We Go, written and directed by Bryan McClurg, takes place on a summer afternoon when two college graduates cross paths outside their elementary school. As the two explore the space of their childhood and reminisce, they wonder if they ever met as kids and – if not – what things would have been like if that had. This reflective film deals with the passage of time and how our past comes to shape our present. Produced by Chris Tung with cinematography by Adam Brixey.
Painted Lady, written and directed by Brittany A. Shyne, tells the story of a nine-year-old girl, played by Sumayah Chappelle, who experiences the first changes of womanhood. A strained relationship with her mother leaves her on her own to navigate her changing body. Painted Lady offers a poetic glimpse of the struggles of girlhood while telling a story very few of us have ever witnessed on screen. Produced by Cassie Ryan and John Saylor with cinematography by Jacob Ebel.
As submitted by Brittany A. Shyne via Press Release
