Students at Western Carolina University see the light at the end of the tunnel resembling the end of the classes. They are ready to celebrate this weekend before the grind for exam week.
The School of Stage and Screen, is offering movies, red carpet and fun during the two-days Controlled Chaos Film Festival.
This will be the 16th Chaos festival and one of the first that has committed to the two-night format. First night starts on Friday, May 2, at 6:30 p.m. at the University Auditorium, which is the building between McKee and Stillwell and is free to the public. The night will feature films such as “Hey Ya! Lib Dub”, “DEO DICO”, and “Light”.
The second night, May 3, is a ticketed event that starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Bardo Auditorium featuring red carpet and formal dress -up. The films shown here are usually thesis films by students in the FTP program, starting with “The Adventure of Captain Atom” and ending with “Matchmaker.”
The prices start at $10 for students and children, $12 for seniors or faculty/staff, and $17 for adults.
Both nights show around two and a half hours of films submitted by students in the Film and Television Program that they have been made this year.
Alongside the screenings at night, on Friday the festival is putting is putting a list of panels hosted throughout the day by four guest artists. Veronica Bouza, a director of photography is hosting a panel discussing cinematography at 10:30 a.m. at the Ramsey Cage to kick off the weekend. She also hosts another panel called “Lighting Faces and Actors” at 1:30 p.m. at the Killian Sound Stage. Bouza was recently listed in Variety’s 10 Cinematographers to Watch in 2024 and her debut feature film, “The Gutter”, is currently streaming on Hulu starring Shameik Moore and Susan Sarandon.
Sound editor and mixer Kevin Cognolotti is also hosting two panels. One is focused on post-production sound editing starting at 10:30 a.m. in the Audio Lab in Coulter. The other is a workshop about on-set sound and starts at 1:30 p.m. at the Killian Sound Stage. Cognolotti is an Assistant Professor at the DePaul University School of Cinematic Arts and has worked on feature films such as “5lbs of Pressure”, “My Fake Boyfriend”, and “Never Not Yours.”
Actress Callie Johnson is hosting an acting panel at 11:00 a.m. at the Acting Studio, also known as Belk 294. She has a recurring guest role on NBC’s “Chicago Med” and worked alongside Zach Galifianakis in the Apple TV+ film “The Beanie Bubble”.
Director Jessie Knight is hosting two panels, one at 11:00 a.m. and the other at 1:30 p.m. in the University Auditorium as well. Both panels will be seminars discussing different aspects of directing from performances to behind-the-scenes work and interacting with crew members
After the panels on Friday is when the screenings begin. The audience will be able to enjoy 17 films produced and submitted by students, whether they be for fun or for class.
There will be a plethora of genres and styles shown at the festival all weekend. Night one begins with “Hey Ya! Lib Dub” which you can imagine will have a very fun tone, and night two begins with “The Adventures of Captain Atom” which is a “LEGO movie made with a combination of stop-motion and VFX”, according to FTP Assistant Professor Steve Kniss. “It’s definitely the movie I would show my kids if they were to come.”
Kniss also described the atmosphere of the festival itself, saying the first night is a casual gathering, but the second night feels like “you’re attending the Oscar’s,” whether that be because of the fashion on display or also the way the lobby will be set up during the event.
“It is very formal. Students are going to be dressed as fancy as they can. Even I have to keep up with them. [Bardo] is going to have props and costumes set out from all the films that you get to see, so it just becomes really fun to watch the screenings and just be a part of that atmosphere.”
When the screenings are over on Saturday, awards are also given out. These awards include Best Picture, Best Acting, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Directing, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Original Song, Best Writing, and Best Production Design. FTP faculty decide on the non-acting awards, and the acting professors specifically decide the acting awards. All films shown during the festival are eligible.
“The work is really good,” Kniss said. “I would put our student work up against any of the best film schools in the country. Having taught at a couple of them, I know our students can easily stand up to them.”
“And this is also a great opportunity to see movies that you won’t see anywhere else,” Kniss continued. “See what happens to be on students’ minds that year. It’s always interesting to see what themes emerge from student work based on what’s happening in the world at the time, and how is that affecting the stories that our students want to tell.”
Learn more information about the festival itself on the Controlled Chaos website.
