Orange Film Fest goes where no festival has gone before
On April 20, legend of stage and screen LeVar Burton (far left) came to The Frida Cinema as the special guest of this year’s Orange Film Fest, which showcased some of the best in shorts from colleges across southern California. Pictured (from left): Burton, Jackson Spiner, Brent Spiner and Derrick Davidian. Photos courtesy of Alex Salomon
On April 20, the USS Enterprise took a pit stop in Santa Ana when “Star Trek: The Next Generation” actor LeVar Burton swung by the second edition of Orange Film Fest (OFF), a festival showcasing the best in student film from Chapman and other schools across southern California.
After a successful first year, OFF founder Derrick Davidian had larger ambitions for where he saw the fest going from there.
“The biggest goal was to expand the festival to not (just) Chapman students, and to reach other universities across southern California,” said the senior strategic and corporate communication major. ”This year, we had submissions from Loyola Marymount University, USC and Cal State Long Beach. We saw Notre Dame and also the New York Film Academy. So, I would say that (this year) was a great success.”
Dodge College of Film and Media Arts seniors Remy Wood (left) and Asher Kaplan won “Best Picture” at this year’s Film Fest for their short “Mindset.”
After all 12 selected shorts were screened, it was time for awards, and this year’s special speaker, Burton, was interviewed by senior screenwriting major Jackson Spiner. Spiner also moderated the conversation with last year’s special guest, “Weird Al” Yankovic.
“What’s nice is this year with (Burton) and last year with Weird Al, they’re such lovely, personable people that it made my job so much easier because the conversation could just flow,” Spiner said.
Best Picture went to director Asher Kaplan and producer Remy Wood for their short “Mindset.” The short follows a woman grieving the loss of her husband when she finds a film crew has disrupted her quiet home, filming her anguish without explanation. Both Kaplan and Wood are seniors at Chapman, majoring in film production and creative producing, respectively.
Kaplan was honored to not only receive the Best Picture honor for his film, but also to screen the short at OFF, in particular. He and Wood’s short film “Sonder” screened at last year’s festival and won Best Cinematography.
“It's always a great experience,” Kaplan told The Panther. “It's cool to be in a room where everyone appreciates the art.”
Wood echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the bond the crew developed through making the film.
“Being on a set, especially that set, it was really intense,” Wood said. “We were up in Malibu shooting, and we became such a family. So now, to be here a year later watching it with all of them is really great.”
The short was also an advanced production (AP) — a film that serves as the concluding project for students in their junior year at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Following certain guidelines gave the filmmakers additional constraints.
“I think what (Dodge College) does so well is they put a lot of constraints on us, like really minimal budgets, short time to shoot — we only get a few days to shoot it,” Wood said. “It really forced us to excel within the parameters that we had. (It forced us to) get creative and problem solve with how we can get a location like that… and to think outside the box and think creatively about what we were gonna do. And obviously, we were super, super happy with the results.”
Other films screened were “A Memory of Petra,” “Bardo,” “Bajo El Sol,” “Bounce House Leeches,” “El Vaquero,” “Ojue” “Ship of Theseus,” “Thanks, Be to God,” “Stupid Fucking Dumbass Idiot,” “Viral” and “Where the Flowers Bloom.”
Following the awards ceremony, Burton, renowned for work that spans decades from “Reading Rainbow” to “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” took the stage. After Weird Al Yankovic attended as the special guest last year, Davidian was careful to find an equally celebrated talent for this year’s Film Fest.
“We wanted to find someone who shares a similar story, a similar vibe and a similar mentality of the film festival. Who’s someone who culminates in what we’re doing at Orange Film Fest? I think LeVar is such a great character, and he’s done so many different things, from being a producer, a director and an author…That touch that he has with storytelling and short films just made him a perfect guest.”
As the writer of “Mindset” and the moderator of the Q&A, Spiner received a number of compliments throughout the evening for his work. However, he claims he’s gotten more compliments for his two-second cameo in the film. He expects acting offers to start raining in shortly.
“There's nothing more gratifying than seeing your work on a big screen in an audience just because you can hear when they get the jokes and when they're on the edge of their seat,” Spiner told The Panther. “Art and film specifically are meant to be seen in crowds and in an audience. To see my short films played in front of an audience is just magical every time.”
Despite graduation slowly approaching, Spiner expects to stay on for the festival for next year. Even though planning the festival proves tiring, he loves the festival itself and its team.
Davidian is very happy with this year’s fest and its slate, as well as the special guest, but he’s not resting on his laurels. Davidian is already thinking about how to expand OFF for its next edition. He said he’s looking to add an after-party to the festival’s schedule to maintain the excitement and to give audiences an opportunity to discuss and celebrate what they’ve seen.
“This year's films were tremendous. I think every year, we're seeing a level of growth. As we saw, a lot of tears were shed, and there were a lot of shouts of excitement,” Davidian said. “I want to continue that, to have that excitement and energy within the film magic of (OFF).”
Having seen the power of good storytelling throughout his career, whether it be the event that “Roots” became or teaching the nation to embrace reading on “Reading Rainbow,” Burton emphasized the importance of telling meaningful, impactful stories on-screen.
“Tell stories that your heart wants to share with the world,” Burton told the crowd of young filmmakers.
If this year’s slate of shorts is any indication, student filmmakers from across the country are already heeding his message.
Click here to watch The Panther’s video on the Orange Film Fest.
“There’s nothing more gratifying than seeing your work on a big screen in an audience just because you can hear when they get the jokes and when they’re on the edge of their seat. Art and film specifically are meant to be seen in crowds and in an audience. To see my short films played in front of an audience is just magical every time.”
