film Z Norazia
Thief
Snooze
Ari Numb
James
Delta Mu Nu
Runaways Syncopate
Corporate Culture
A Case Study
ice cream cake
I Dream in Widescreen by Carl Hanni
There are many ways to mark the passing of another year in Tucson, and for the local filmmaking and creative community, one of the key ones is the annual ‘I Dream in Widescreen’ showcase of BFA thesis films from University of Arizona’s School of Theater, Film and Television. This years program features twelve films, running from four to over ten minutes in length. As is generally the case, they run the genre gamut, from comedies, dramas and thrillers to mockumentaries and music videos. And, again typically, the production values of the films are extremely high, even if they do occasionally get ahead of some of the narrative coherence. Marine Science enthusiast Christina Close blends her passion for aquatic exploration and filmmaking with very striking, color-saturated cinematography in Numb, which was all shot underwater, a notoriously difficult undertaking. Christine Greer’s willfully garish, glitter drenched, color-bombed ice cream cake is an eye popping music video for the synth-pop band Tropical Beach. Carolyn McKee’s Snooze uses great production design to illustrate its story of extreme narcolepsy. Catherine Hilbert’s mockumentary Delta Mu Nu is a tongue-in-cheek expose about a fictional sorority that is more than meets the eye. Cullen Hamblen’s Norazia uses some excellent aerial, drone photography to further his story of personal loss. And Allison Klemes Ari is a beautifully shot, well acted short drama about the emotional stress of a young woman coming out to her mother. Other films take on a variety of subjects, from lampooning Silicon Valleystyled corporate playgrounds (Adam Ciampaglio’s Corporate Culture) to a split personality (Alicia Farmer’s James) and even the plague (Thief by Randi Todd). Destiny Moreno’s well acted Runaways shows a bachelorette party sidetracked by personal revelations, Victoria Pereira’s Syncopate details an unlikely musical collaboration, and Feifei Gong’s A Case Study delivers more notable acting and one of the more memorable uses of the modern trope “I have to post this!” ‘I Dream in Widescreen’ also doubles as an awards ceremony, with prizes equaling more than $6,000, including cash prizes, gift certificates, software and studio credit. Nine different awards are handed out after all of the films have shown: The Tucson Film Office New Filmmaker Award, The Fancy Film Award for Excellence in Screenwriting, The Pollution Studios Award for Excellence
in Cinematography, The UA Hanson Film Institute Award for Excellence in Production Design, The Entertainment Partners Award for Excellence in Producing, The Neil Benton Arts & Entertainment Award for Best Acting, The OWC Award for Excellence in Editing, the Adobe Award for Excellence in Sound Design and the Adobe Award for Excellence in Title Design. Jurors including Marissa Devins, Partner in the Television Literary Department at United Talent Agency; Katie Walsh, an LA Times film critic whose syndicated Tribune News Service reviews appear in over 200 newspapers nationwide; and Joseph T. Garrity, Senior Filmmaker-in-Residence in Production Design at The American Film Institute Conservatory. IDIW co-Producer Jacob Bricca, Assistant Professor at the School of Theatre, Film & Television, says “The scale of ambition this year is really striking. Our students are really thinking big in so many ways: the production values of the films are really high, with locations from all across southern Arizona (including underwater!). The complexity of many of the characters is also really impressive: these students are really stretching themselves in terms of telling stories that are grounded and nuanced. And the way production design has been used as a tool is also really impressive: the look and texture of the films speaks volumes.” ‘I Dream in Widescreen’ is a very popular and lively event that draws a large and notoriously enthusiastic crowd of family, friends and curious filmlovers. It’s also an excuse for former UA film graduates to return to Tucson, many of whom have had their early films from UA play in film festivals around the country, and have gone on to high profile positions in the industry in Los Angeles and elsewhere. ‘I Dream in Widescreen’ is at the Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 West Congress in downtown on Saturday, April 28. Doors are at 6 pm, and the show starts at 7 pm. Tickers are $10, and can be purchased in advance at the UA Fine Arts Box Office 12-4 pm, Monday through Friday, or online at tickets.arizona.edu. The phone number at the UA Box Office is 520-621-1162. Advance ticket sales close at 4pm on Friday, April 27. Day-of sales are available at the Fox starting at 6pm on the evening of the show. n April 2018 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 49