Undergraduate Film Festival
Have you made an original film you'd like to screen at NSU? Here’s your chance!
NSU's Annual Undergraduate Film Festival, hosted by the Farquhar Honors College, invites NSU undergraduates to submit short films in a variety of styles, including narrative, documentary, or avant-garde. The completed films are screened at the Undergraduate Student Symposium, which is held each year in April. Prizes are awarded for the best films.
Guidelines
- Films should be 5-10 minutes in length. Films that do not adhere to these length requirements will be disqualified.
- The director for each film must be a current undergraduate student at Nova Southeastern University; however, the actors and other crew members are not required to be enrolled at NSU.
- Students must secure a faculty sponsor for their project; the faculty sponsor must approve the project’s abstract prior to the student completing the USS application.
- Students must clearly cite the influences on their work in the film credits and in their written abstracts. If any paradigm or technique has been taken from a specific film, that should be made explicit in both the film credits and in the written abstracts.
- Each student may submit only one film per year to the annual Film Festival.
- Each student filmmaker is responsible for attending the screening of his/her film during the Symposium.
How to Participate
For more information, or to sign up, contact the festival organizers by email: Marlisa Santos, Ph.D. or Weylin Sternglanz, Ph.D., associate professor.
Each filmmaker is responsible for all legal matters related to his or her film (such as getting actors and crew members to sign the appropriate release forms).Deadlines
Undergraduate Student Symposium application, including faculty sponsor-approved abstract, due: February 12, 2021
This application will be open from January 11, 2021 until February 12, 2021 (11:59pm EST).
Completed film uploaded to Vimeo: March 29, 2021
Film Workshop
The festival organizers may hold an organizational workshop for NSU undergraduates interested in participating in the film festival. Workshop topics may include tips for writing scripts, recruiting actors, camera work, editing, and submitting abstracts to the Undergraduate Student Symposium.
Judging and Awards
Judging will take place prior to the film screenings at the Undergraduate Student Symposium. Participating judges include NSU faculty and industry and community professionals. During the Undergraduate Student Symposium, the top twenty films will be showcased as part of the NSU Film Festival. Highest honors will be announced at the Undergraduate Student Symposium Awards Ceremony. See the USS schedule for more details.
Benefits and Outcomes
- Students who complete their films learn invaluable skills in film technology and media studies. These skills give undergraduate participants a significant advantage when applying to graduate programs in film or media studies, positions in advertising or business, and positions in media technology.
- Students who complete their films may gain a deeper understanding of the work involved in a collaborative creative endeavor.
- Students are responsible for the writing and direction of their films, providing the opportunity to develop creative writing and leadership skills.
- The film festival provides an opportunity for students and faculty members to engage with each other in a social and educational setting.