Strand Theatre to Show Ohio Wesleyan Student-Created Films
DELAWARE, OHIO – Five documentary films created by Ohio Wesleyan University students and a faculty member will be shown and discussed at 7 p.m. April 28 at the 2012 OWU Documentary Film Festival at the Strand Theatre, 28 E. Winter St., Delaware.
The free festival, now in its eighth year, features films produced by students in Ohio Wesleyan’s ethnographic and documentary film and filmmaking course. The class is taught by sociology/anthropology professor Mary Howard, Ph.D., and Chuck Della Lana, OWU’s director of media services. Some of the films contain adult language and themes. All will be followed by brief discussions with the student-filmmakers.
Films scheduled to be screened at the festival are:
7 p.m. – “The Warm Fuzzy Camp”Camp Nuhop in Perrysville, Ohio, is a summer camp for children with learning disabilities and behavior disorders. The film explores Nuhop’s history and culture and shows why it still is known as the “Warm Fuzzy” camp almost 40 years after its founding. (18 minutes).
Directed by Andrea Hatfield, a senior from Mason, Ohio. 7:30 p.m. – “Finding Opportunity”
Nine international students discuss their decisions to study in the United States. While Ohio Wesleyan, some students had their expectations of college affirmed, while others experienced a degree of culture shock. This documentary explores the dynamics between the international students and the wider university community. (17 minutes).
Directed by Ali Castelero, a junior from San Francisco, and Irena Pandzic, a senior from Williamstown, Mass. 7:55 p.m. – “First Impressions”
This documentary explores the impact of the clothing women wear in college today. Just how big is the difference between what a woman is trying to say and what others see? What assumptions are made based on how she dresses? The film includes interviews from students, faculty, and staff on the Ohio Wesleyan campus. (22 minutes).
Directed by Hayley Cook, a sophomore from Gahanna, Ohio, and Claire Hackett, a sophomore from Chevy Chase, Md. 8:20 p.m. – “connecTIons disTOrted”
This film shares stories and memories from people connected to the former Yugoslavia. The complexity of the region – including historical and political influences and events – comprise the layers that question Josip Broz Tito’s leadership as a surrealistic time that collapsed in blood. The former Yugoslavia is an example of how political and historical manipulation and wars are the tragedy of all humans. (20 minutes).
Directed by Kristina Bogdanov, M.F.A., an OWU associate professor of fine arts and a documentary film student. 8:50 p.m. – “Our Secret Gardens”
An honest and candid exploration of body-shaving habits. Why we habitually remove hair from our bodies, how we go about it, how we assign meaning to our own and others’ hair-removal habits and experiences. (18 minutes).
Directed by Anna Cooper, a junior from Granville, Ohio, and Andrea Kraus, a junior from Kissimmee, Fla.
Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier small, private universities, with more than 90 undergraduate majors, sequences, and courses of study, and 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Located in Delaware, Ohio, just minutes north of Ohio’s capital and largest city, Columbus, the university combines a globally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities that translate classroom theory into real-world practice. OWU’s close-knit community of 1,850 students represents 47 states and 57 countries. Ohio Wesleyan was named to the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with distinction, is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” and is included on the “best colleges” lists of U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. Learn more at www.owu.edu.