In anticipation of that day, UCF in collaboration with the Love Your Shorts Film Festival in Sanford will host an educational program, “Connecting with the Central Florida Filmmaking Community,” on Thursday to kick off the Feb. 13-16 festival.

The free Education Day program will start at 7 p.m. at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in Sanford, and will be followed at 8 p.m. with a selection of short films by current and recently graduated UCF students.

There are more than 50,000 Floridians who work in the film, television and digital media industry, many of whom live and work in Central Florida.

The education program was developed by UCF lecturer Jason Gregory ’19MFA and Associate Professor Lisa Mills ’99. Gregory will moderate a panel of other film professionals to talk about why the local film industry is growing stronger with more opportunities for networking and the multiple productions that are underway.

“UCF helped me get to where I am, and now it’s my turn to pay it forward and help mold and develop others.” – Jason Gregory ’19MFA

“I am an alum of the UCF and UCF helped me get to where I am, and now it’s my turn to pay it forward and help mold and develop others,” Gregory says, adding that the university is helping develop the next wave of great filmmakers through its undergraduate and graduate programs. Gregory teaches screenwriting at UCF, is the director of the Orlando Urban Film Festival and created the television pilot Waking Up White.

Others on the panel are: Marco DiGeorge, co-founder of Truthful Acting Studios, artistic director of Theater on the Edge, and a film casting director; Wilmore “Moe” Fowler, film production coordinator at Valencia College who has worked in films as a producer, assistant director and in other roles; Lenny and Tzvia LoRusso, founders of Orlando Independent Filmmakers; and Ed Love, owner of 89 Media Inc. and a TV and film producer.

In addition to the student films, the 10^th annual festival will show 81 films from 12 countries in competition. The films will be screened in eight categories (comedy, drama, animation, documentary, international, sci-fi/horror, Florida Flavor, and E for Everyone), plus an opening-night variety of films, and the Best of the Fest competition on closing night.

Several filmmakers with connections to UCF have films that were selected to be screened:

• In Memory of Us, a drama by Kristina League ’19. This film will be shown during the Education Day program and also was accepted to be in the festival’s drama block. (Two sisters navigate the complex bonds of family on the night of their father’s funeral.)
• Tiffany, an animation directed by Christina Christie ’19, was created by UCF’s character animation class of 2019. (While packing away her late grandmother’s affairs, Pauline discovers there is joy in celebrating the legacy of those who have passed away.)
• The Brewchurch, a documentary by Aaron Hose ’03, a video production specialist in the . (Castle Church Brewing Community, an Orlando church-owned brewery, combines faith-based fellowship and beer under the same roof. Patrons from all walks of life are welcome to grab a pint, join in prayer, or both.)
• Bitters, a horror directed by Charles Sutter ’10’14˛Ńąó´ˇ. Sutter also previously taught film for seven years at UCF. (A chef invites a popular health and food blogger to preview the new menu at her restaurant. But with each new course the meal isn’t as it seems on the surface).

Serving with other judges at the festival’s Best of the Fest block are Mills and Phil Hoffman, executive director of WUCF TV and WUCF FM, media partners for the event.

All the festival’s events are at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, a refurbished 1923 theater on the National Register of Historic Places.

For a schedule, ticket information and other news of the festival, go to LoveYourShorts.com and .

The student films to be shown at 8 p.m. Feb. 13:

Egghead & Twinkie

Sarah Holland, 8:37
Egghead is in love with his best friend, Twinkie, a closeted lesbian. And tonight she is coming out to her parents in the most casual way possible.

Chief: A Life of Service

Gabriel Ross, 7:00
After the death of Florida A&M şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą drum major Robert Champion, Police Chief Calvin Ross has to deal with the pressure of staying on the force longer than planned.

AJI

Omar Young, 4:22
An immigrant’s journey to reconnect with his culinary roots and rebuild tradition away from home.

When Superwoman Can’t Fly (No More)

Valerie Starks, 5:02
A daughter who put her life on hold to care for her mother, who was her world, must start her own life anew.

American Boyfriend

Helen Morales, 7:00
A 15-year-old girl experiences an anxiety attack while on a school field trip.

CuldeSac

Spencer Shack, 10:05
Two group-home brothers navigate living poor in a small African-American suburb.

Split Oak

Vincent Marcucci, 10:01
A Central Florida forest is under attack by the very people elected to protect it.

In Memory of Us

Kristi League, 13:23
Two sisters navigate the complex bonds of family on the night of their father’s funeral.

That’s one of the topics filmmakers will discuss as part of free workshops sponsored Feb. 8 by UCF’s College of Arts & Humanities to kick off the Love Your Shorts Film Festival in Sanford. The Feb. 8-11 festival will feature 80 short films from 10 countries along with 15 UCF student exhibition films and two student films in competition.

“Florida is a great place to make any kind of film but there is a quirkiness to this state that lends itself to creepy story lines and absurd characters,” said Associate Professor of Film Lisa Mills. “Many people out there are making scary films and we wanted to use our panel to explore what makes a film scary, and try to figure out why so many scary movies are made in Florida.”

The two Education Day workshops for aspiring and veteran filmmakers (“What makes a movie scary?” at 9 a.m. and “Why is Florida a good place to make a scary movie?” at 10 a.m.) will be led by Mills at the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce, 400 E. 1st St., in downtown Sanford. The panel is made up of Central Florida film professionals, including four with UCF ties: Zachary Beckler, a UCF film graduate and now lecturer whose horror films have been screened around the world, and Michael Walsh, a professor of cinematography studies whose credits include working on Pirates of the Caribbean II and III, Monster, 2 Fast and 2 Furious, The Waterboy and 70 other feature films and more than 400 TV episodes; Lacey Maloch, a UCF graduate and filmmaker who co-founded SlashHer Productions; and Morgan McKinley, a UCF graduate who works on special effects for SlashHer Productions and has done makeup for Halloween Horror Nights.

Space is limited, so free registration can be found with the festival ticket information on the Ěý·É±đ˛ú˛őľ±łŮ±đ.

Student Films

The 15 student films of drama, comedy and other genres also will be shown free at 7 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, 201 S. Magnolia Ave. The movies were created by students in directing classes or as capstone projects.

Character Animations in Competition

Two other student films by the university’s 2017 character animation class will be shown in competition at the weekend festival.

Dreamweaver, about a frightened Chippewa girl who is helped to overcome her nightmares, was submitted by student directors Katherine Ryschkewitsch and Erich Schulz and their faculty director Cheryl Briggs. The film will be shown in the festival’s E for Everyone block of films at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 10.

Cuddlefish is the story of a Viking sailor whose travels come to a halt when a love-sick kraken falls in love with the anchor on the seafarer’s ship. The film submitted by Briggs and student directors Brianna Jaeger and Jared Bittner will be screened in the animation block at 1 p.m. Feb. 10.

Mills said it is rewarding for students to see their finished projects shown on the big screen—in this case, a refurbished 1923 theater on the National Register of Historic Places.

“Film is still an art to be enjoyed collectively, even in these days of streaming video,” said Mills. “So when a student can sit in the audience and experience the reactions of people sitting all around her—the laughs, the sniffles, the gasps—then that student understands the blood, sweat and tears she put into making her film was all worth it.”

The weekend festival at the theater will showcase short films in seven categories (comedy, drama, animation, documentary, sci-fi/horror, Florida Flavor, and E for Everyone), plus an opening-night variety of films, and a Best of the Fest competition on closing night. Also scheduled is a free panel at 5 p.m. Feb. 10, at which visiting filmmakers will present a discussion and Q&A on techniques, tips and current projects.

This is the third year of the university and festival’s growing partnership, which this year also begins WUCF TV’s involvement as the festival’s media partner. The PBS station and film festival are developing some joint projects.

The college’s free Education Day will kick off the four-day festival of more than 70 short films from a dozen countries. Three of those films in competition were directed by UCF graduates.

Lisa Mills, an associate professor of film in the college’s School of Visual Arts & Design who is leading the workshops, said this year’s sessions focus on animation because she said she’s never seen the topic offered as an educational component at other festivals. The workshops are geared for anyone who’s ever thought about writing, producing, animating or directing a film.

A 9 a.m. panel discussion on “Animation Adaptions to the Digital Age” and a 10 a.m. discussion on “Careers in Animation” will be led by Mills at the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce, 400 E. 1st St. The panel will consist of:

At 11:30 a.m., Mark Seppala, a Sanford artist and Walt Disney World’s former general manager for character merchandise, will talk about “My Life in Animation,” including his time in the field of merchandise design and animation. A graduate of the New England School of Art and Design, he majored in animation and advertising design. After 25 years at Disney, he retired three years ago and now has a studio at the Gallery on First in Sanford.

Space is limited so reservations are recommended through the festival’s website, LoveYourShorts.com.

At 7 p.m., the student films that were completed last year will be screened at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, 201 S. Magnolia Ave.

With titles such as Grizzly Girl by Destiny Deming, Mirrored Canvas by Christine Paul, Ape and Turtle Versus the Fire Monster by Rick Lee, and Burp by Benjamin L. Gill, there’s a little something for all film fans. Some of the films have mature themes and language, so viewer discretion is advised.

Three student films that were submitted and accepted by the festival for competition are:

The rest of the festival weekend at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center will showcase short films in seven categories (comedy, drama, animation, documentary, sci-fi/horror, Florida Flavor, and E for Everyone), plus an opening-night variety of films, and a Best of the Fest competition on closing night. Also on Saturday during the festival, a workshop will be offered for middle and high school students to see what it is like to be on a working film set, and a panel of visiting filmmakers will present a discussion and Q&A on techniques, tips and current projects. All the workshops and panels are free.

For a schedule of films, events and ticket information, visit the festival website. And for updates: .

The top film in its category was created by students in the 2013 and 2015 advanced documentary workshop class of The Burnett Honors College. This was the first time a UCF film was nominated for a college Emmy, and it beat out films from Chapman şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą in Orange, Calif., and Northwestern şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą in Evanston, Ill.

The movie is about Florida lawmakers and religious activists in 1928 who sought to ban classes and books on evolution at the school that later became Florida State şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą. Professors and college administrators were accused of “corrupting young women’s minds” and critics called the students “filthy dreamers.” Ultimately the college prevailed.

The UCF student filmmakers researched, wrote and filmed the documentary. They said they wanted to inform viewers about the history of censorship on campuses because nearly 100 years later, public figures and activists are still trying to control academic curriculums.

Robert Cassanello, an associate professor of history, and Lisa Mills, an associate professor of film in the School of Visual Arts & Design, were faculty advisors for the project. Connie Lester, director of the history department’s RICHES (Regional Initiative for Collecting the History, Experiences and Stories of Central Florida) was the narrator, and voice-over acting included theatre associate professor Christopher Niess and journalism associate professor Steve Collins. 

Bob Graham, a former Florida governor and U.S. senator whose mother was among the so-called “filthy dreamers,” also was featured in the film.

This was the third documentary produced by honors students after Alvin Wang, dean of The Burnett Honors College, sought a collaborative effort with the College of Arts & Humanities in 2010.

The 2013 students involved were: Will Chorvat, Jason Clarke, Carter Howard, Beverly Nwokoye, Amber Pietrowski, Rachel White and Orlando Porro. The 2015 students were Ernesto Calderon, Louis-Christophe Fortier, Kristin Keefer, Ramsey Khawaja, Derek Loucks, Carmen Malca, Shannon Specie, Antony Zeng, Nichole Santana, Emma Duncan, Tiffany Campbell, Alex McKeel, Kristina League and Michael Reed.

Loucks, League and Khawaja traveled to the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles to accept the Emmy. They also participated in a summit and development workshops at the Television Academy with industry professionals.

To see the trailer for “Filthy Dreamers,” go to .

The film, Filthy Dreamers, is about state lawmakers and religious activists who tried to ban certain textbooks and the teaching of evolution in 1928 at the school that became Florida State şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą. The critics accused professors and administrators at the college of “corrupting young women’s minds” and labeled them “filthy dreamers,” but ultimately the college prevailed.

The students from The Burnett Honors College said they made the film to educate and inform viewers about the long history of censorship in classrooms, libraries and campuses because nearly 100 years later, public figures and activists are still trying to control curriculum.

“This film is about academic freedom and why it was important in 1928 as well as 2016,” said history associate professor Robert Cassanello. “It should be a cautionary tale for lawmakers and activists who demand academic content conform to a majority or even minority opinion.”

Cassanello and Lisa Mills, an associate professor of film in the School of Visual Arts & Design, were faculty advisors for the film, which is one of three finalists in the Television Academy Foundation’s documentary category. This is the first time a UCF film has been nominated for a college Emmy.

“What is so gratifying is the way students worked together to visualize a very complicated part of Florida’s history, and make it relevant to what is still happening today,” Mills said. “The film’s strength lies in showing audiences what can happen when higher education becomes politicized. These two documentary classes wanted to show us when students, faculty, and administrators stand together, they can bring important changes and make the system better for all.”

This was the third documentary produced by honors students after honors college Dean Alvin Wang sought a collaborative effort with the College of Arts & Humanities in 2010. The film was started by the honors advanced documentary workshop class in Fall 2013 and then the Fall 2015 class finished it in December. The film will also receive an honorable mention at the Broadcast Educators Association Festival of Media Arts in April.

The 2013 students involved were Will Chorvat, Jason Clarke, Carter Howard, Beverly Nwokoye, Amber Pietrowski, Rachel White and Orlando Porro. The 2015 students were Ernesto Calderon, Louis-Christophe Fortier, Kristin Keefer, League, Ramsey Khawaja, Derek Loucks, Carmen Malca, Shannon Specie, Antony Zeng, Nichole Santana, Emma Duncan, Tiffany Campbell, Alex McKeel, Kristina League and Michael Reed. Loucks and League are scheduled to travel to Los Angeles in May, when the winners will be announced.

The film was narrated by history associate professor Connie Lester, and voice-over acting included theatre associated professor Christopher Niess and journalism associate professor Steve Collins. 

The film also featured retired Sen. Bob Graham, whose mother was among the so-called “filthy dreamers” in the 1920s.

“I think one of the things we tried to do with the film is give the student perspective because we often have discussions of academic freedom in regards to the teacher, the professors and the administrators. But what about the students? Students themselves have a stake in academic freedom as well,” Cassanello said. “The classroom should be and students should expect it to be an environment for the free exchange of ideas.”

Student Emmy winners are invited to participate in a summit at the Television Academy, where they are exposed to industry professionals and participate in development workshops. Students also become part of the Television Academy Foundation alumni network, which provides access to year-round networking opportunities and events.

“Dr. Cassanello and I congratulate all of the students who worked on Filthy Dreamers. Producing a good historical documentary is not an easy task,” Mills said. “Just getting a nomination for this award is a huge honor.”

To see the trailer for Filthy Dreamers, go to .

Education Day, sponsored Feb. 11 by UCF’s College of Arts & Humanities, will kick off the festival activities at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, where 61 short films from 17 countries will be shown during the weekend. This is the second year UCF has sponsored Education Day at the festival.

“This kind of connection between the university, artists, and citizens is what UCF’s College of Arts & Humanities is all about,” said Lisa Mills, an associate professor of film in the college’s School of Visual Arts & Design. “The day will feature one-of-a-kind workshops where anyone can learn more about the filmmaking process.”

Three workshops will be presented for both novice and veteran filmmakers.

Workshop panelists will lead informative and nurturing discussions for anyone who’s ever thought about writing, producing, directing, or even acting in a film, Mills said.

Two morning workshops will be led by Mills at the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce, 400 E. 1st St., Sanford:

Others on the morning workshop panels are: Marco DiGeorge, program director at Truthful Acting Studios in Orlando and an adjunct at UCF; Tim Ritter, an Orlando independent feature film director, video producer and UCF adjunct; Leslie Maine, a Tampa actress, filmmaker and writer; and Lukas Hassel, a New York actor, director and writer.

All the Education Day workshops and student films are free, but those planning to attend the workshops are asked to register at the festival’s website, LoveYourShorts.com. Some of the films have mature themes and language.

The rest of the festival weekend will showcase short films in seven categories (Comedy, Drama, Animation, Documentary, Sci-Fi/Horror, Florida Flavor, and E for Everyone), plus an opening-night variety of films, and a Best of the Fest competition on closing night. Also on Saturday during the festival, a panel of visiting filmmakers will present a discussion and Q&A on techniques, tips and current projects.

Two films with UCF student connections were accepted for competition in the Florida Flavor block of the festival:

The site of the festival, the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, was built in 1923 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

For a schedule of festival films and ticket information, visit the festival website’s ticket page. And for updates: .

Walker will be part of the panel “Making Meaning: Films that Change the World” at 11 a.m. at Enzian Theater, 1300 S. Orlando Ave., Maitland.

Walker’s film, “Welcome to Leith,” is about a small North Dakota town that confronts a white supremacist who moves in and plots a takeover of city government, setting up a town struggling for sovereignty against one man’s extremist vision. After Craig Cobb moved to Leith in 2012 and started buying up property, his behavior became more threatening and tensions soared.

“We read about the story in The New York Times when the story broke,” said Walker, who now lives in New York. “On the surface we thought it was kind of an incredible story, a real life western in a way. As we dug deeper we realized this little town in North Dakota was going through a pretty severe test of democracy, bringing up questions such as: How far should the First Amendment go in protecting all speech? Who has the right to control a community? How does a free society deal with unpopular ideas?”

Walker and co-director Michael Beach Nichols began documenting the story in November 2013 and the film premiered this past January. “Welcome to Leith” was one of 45 feature documentaries screened at Sundance from the 12,166 films submitted and 184 accepted. The 86-minute film was listed as one of Rolling Stones’ 25 must-see movies at this year’s Sundance festival.

Despite the high tensions during the filming in Leith, Walker said he didn’t feel threatened.
“We made it clear that we were there to cover both sides of the story, letting everyone speak for themselves — and everyone understood this,” he said.

Walker said most of his time at UCF was spent thinking that he wanted to direct fiction films. But once he discovered associate film professor Lisa Mills’ documentary workshop class, he said everything seemed to click for him.

“I realized that my personality and stories I wished to tell were better suited for the documentary format,” he said.

After receiving his bachelor’s in cinema studies, Walker moved to New York and began editing documentaries that have aired on HBO. He has edited and produced Emmy-nominated and duPont-winning feature and short documentaries. He is now co-president of his own production company, and “Welcome to Leith” is his directorial debut.

His advice for UCF student filmmakers is just “go out with a camera and make something. There is no excuse not to. Cameras are cheap, editing software is cheap. Take risks with your work and don’t be afraid to fail.”

The film was co-directed by faculty members Robert Cassanello, an associate professor of history, and Lisa Mills, an associate director of film, and narrated by actress Cheryl Hines. Cassanello and Mills won an Emmy last year for their documentary “The Committee.”

A discussion after the film will include the directors and other guests. The event is will be hosted by Women’s Studies, School of Visual Arts and Design, and the History Department.

The Feb. 12 workshops will be part of the festival’s Education Day, which will also include the screening of films created by high school and college students from around the state. The festival’s Education Day activities are sponsored by UCF’s College of Arts and Humanities. During the rest of the weekend, the festival will show 61 short films from 11 countries.

“One of the goals of UCF’s College of Arts and Humanities is to nourish artistic learning and endeavors,” said Jose Fernandez, dean of the college. “Leading educational programs at Love Your Shorts Film Festival helps fulfill that mission by enriching the lives of the community, our students and potential students.”

To start the 5-year-old festival’s first Education Day, Lisa Mills, an associate professor of film, will lead two workshops at the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce, 400 E. 1st St.:

Others on the workshop panel are: film instructor Kate Shults, filmmakers and UCF graduates James Noir and Zach Becker, and MFA film student Yesi Lima. The film program is part of the college’s School of Visual Arts & Design.

The workshops are free, but those planning to attend are asked to register at the festival’s website, LoveYourShorts.com.

At 7 p.m. that night, the festival’s Education Day will show a free block of high school and college student films from around the state at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, 201 S. Magnolia Ave., Sanford. The films are from STARTFEST Student Art Festival, a statewide project to encourage student filmmakers.

The rest of the nonprofit Love Your Shorts Film Festival weekend will showcase films up to 30 minutes each in seven categories (Comedy, Drama, Animation, Documentary, Sci-Fi/Horror, Florida Flavor, and E for Everyone), plus an opening-night variety of films, and a Best of the Fest competition on closing night. Also on Saturday during the festival, a panel of visiting filmmakers will present a discussion and Q&A on techniques, tips and current projects.

For a schedule of films and ticket information, visit the festival website at LoveYourShorts.com.

Four films with UCF ties were accepted to be screened at the Feb. 14-16 festival, a group of five UCF faculty members and undergraduate students will lead workshops for filmmakers, and one professor will be a festival judge. The weekend event will be held in the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center.

“It’s important for students to enter film festivals so that they can experience their film along with a live audience,” said Lisa Mills, an associate professor of film and organizer of the workshops.  “Watching a film in a dark room is a much more communal experience than watching it on a DVD or computer screen. You see and hear things in your film that you never noticed before.”

Three of the films to be shown were directed by students:

The fourth film was directed by Robert Cassanello, an associate professor in the History Department, and Mills. The 24-minute documentary, The Committee, was researched and written by students in an honors documentary class, and was edited by Aaron Hose, a video producer in UCF’s Center for Distributed Learning.

The movie is about a little-known investigative committee of the Florida Legislature from 1956 to 1964 that sought to root out homosexuals from state universities.

The festival’s educational workshops were designed by Mills for visiting and aspiring filmmakers, and will be held Thursday morning at the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce. In addition to Mills, other panelists are: Andrew Kenneth Gay, a visiting assistant professor of film and independent filmmaker; and film graduate students Max Rosseau, Tim Ritter and Charles Sutter.

The workshops are: “So You Have an Idea for a Film—Now What?” and “So You’ve Made an Independent Film—Now What?”

The festival shows films in seven categories (comedy, drama, animation, documentary, sci-fi/horror, Florida Flavor and E for Everyone, which is for viewers of all ages). The winners of each block of films, as determined by the voting viewers, advance to the final Best of the Fest block of movies on Sunday night, at which Mills also is one of the five judges.

Mills said she loves the art of the short film because they are tight and concise.

“The good ones make you like the main character very quickly and deliver a simple and elegant message at the end,” she said.

For the festival schedule and other information, go to the LoveYourShorts.com website or .