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Cinematic Arts program celebrates another year of success at international film festivals and competitions

Students work on the set of Zach Johnson’s short film ‘Fishing Wire,’ which won a Silver Telly and Bronze Remi.

Each year, students in Liberty University’s Cinematic Arts – Zaki Gordon Center enter projects into film festivals, opening doors for potential industry connections as they represent the new generation of silver screen storytellers.

Since last summer, the center’s student films and feature productions have garnered 21 different awards from festivals and competitions held on various levels. Most recently, the Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival recognized three student short films in May, with two winning gold and one taking bronze.

During the 41st annual Telly Awards, also announced in May, the center’s feature film “Extraordinary” received gold and silver awards, the television pilot of “Eleanor’s Bench” earned a silver award, and three student short films also took home silver awards. The Telly Awards were founded in 1978 and honor the best in film and video production, web commercials, videos, films, and local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs.

A behind the scenes look at student Steven Cook’s Silver Telly-winning film ‘La Rendicion.’

“Extraordinary” was the first-ever student-driven feature film to release nationwide in 2017.

The winning short films created by Liberty students were produced as their thesis film within the cinematic arts program, which places each senior at the helm of an approximately 12-minute project. Between pitching their story ideas, writing and revising their scripts, directing on a set crewed by their peers, and completing post-production, the students are immersed in the art of moviemaking.

“This is sort of their calling card in their senior year of the program and it gives them an opportunity to show the directorial style they have and what they want to do,” said cinematic arts professor Jonathan Hout, who handles Liberty’s festival and award submissions. “It’s a pretty involved process, and it’s meant to mimic every phase of what a professional production would look like.”

A father-daughter relationship is at the heart of student Rachel Morton’s film ‘Sight Reading,’ which won a Gold Remi and Silver Telly.

Student Zach Johnson won a bronze “Remi” award at the Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival and a Silver Telly Award for his film “Fishing Wire,” about a fisherman who sees a mysterious man hiding a body bag across the creek from him and decides to investigate.

Rachel Morton earned both a Gold Remi and Silver Telly for “Sight Reading,” which focuses on a cello teacher who failed to finish a duet with his daughter before she died of cancer and one of his students becomes his new musical partner.

Elizabeth Lustig’s Gold Remi-winning film “Doctor Ellis” tells the story of a doctor whose Alzheimer’s disease causes her memory to deteriorate, and her daughter sacrifices an ambitious career to take care of her mother.

This scene from student Elizabeth Lustig’s Gold Remi film ‘Doctor Ellis’ depicts the titular mother with Alzheimer’s disease.

Steven Cook’s “La Rendicion,” for which he earned a Silver Telly, follows an alcoholic mechanic who is left stranded in a desert by his pregnant fiancé after an argument and hitchhikes with a Hispanic family on the run from both the cartel and immigration police.

Upon graduation, the student filmmakers are given a year to enter their work into competitions of their choosing or release their film online before Hout uses the program’s resources to submit the short films to other festivals.

“The reason you would enter into a film festival, whether you’re a student or not, is because everything in the industry is networking and who you know, and you may make a connection with someone at a festival who saw your film,” Hout said. “The only way to get better at creating content is to create content and get feedback from people, and film festivals provide that for you.”

Liberty has competed in and experienced success at Worldfest-Houston and the Telly Awards consistently over the years, Hout said.

2020 Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival (Remis)

  • Zach Johnson, “Fishing Wire” — Bronze Remi: Student – College Level Student Productions
  • Rachel Morton, “Sight Reading” — Gold Remi: Student – College Level Student Productions
  • Elizabeth Lustig, “Doctor Ellis” — Gold Remi: Student – College Level Student Productions

2020 Telly Awards

  • “Fishing Wire,” Zach Johnson — Silver Telly Winner: Non-Broadcast General- Student
  • “Sight Reading,” Rachel Morton — Silver Telly Winner: Non-Broadcast General- Student
  • “La Rendicion,” Steven Cook — Silver Telly Winner: Non-Broadcast General- Student
  • “Extraordinary,” Liberty University – Gold Telly Winner: Non-Broadcast Craft- Directing
  • “Extraordinary,” Liberty University — Silver Telly Winner: Non-Broadcast General-Religion/Spirituality
  • “Eleanor’s Bench,” Liberty University — Bronze Telly Winner: Television General-Entertainment
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