By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Young filmmakers from Bowling Green State University showcased their work Thursday night in “Cineposium: Corona Edition.”
The event was part of the virtual premier arts series, livestreamed, instead of in person, because of the pandemic. The presentation will remain available for viewing on Vimeo for about a week.
While the pandemic has put a crimp in film production, the program has persisted, and Cineposium was a testament to that.
Morgan Orr, in introducing her film “Show and Tell,” said: “This pandemic has shown the arts students are very adaptable, and we won’t let anything put us down.”
The worst part, said fellow filmmaker Maeven Parsil, is the inability of students to hang out and bond over their love of film. “It’s different,” she said,” but we’re adapting.”
Still, this is giving her more time to reflect on her craft and how to develop it in the future.
Her short film, created for an assignment using found footage, was her way of responding to homesickness. She grew up in the Caribbean and was missing home when she fashioned the underwater scene with a solitary swimmer maneuvering through the surreal seascape.
The hour-long program featured nine short films. Like Parsil’s film, many stemmed from class assignments, and as such gave insight into the training the BGSU film program provides.
The program opened and closed with music. Shayla Green’s “The Songs of Sundays” was a slice-of-life glimpse into a Voices at BGSU rehearsal, no narration just camaraderie as the singers gathered culminating with a glorious spiritual.
The program closed with whimsical animated music video “Just a Matter of Time” by Megan Jones.
The program features two longer entries: Sarah North’s documentary “What We Choose To Remember,” an honors project, and John Schwartz’ dramatic film “MatriMax.”
North’s documentary grew from an audio project for which she interviewed her grandmother about her experience as a refugee from Latvia during World War II. Using family photos and stock footage and interviews with other family members, she fleshed out parts of the story her grandmother left out. The result is a powerful depiction of the experience of war from a woman’s point of view.
Schwartz explained that production for his 12-minute film, which he wrote and directed, only started in January 2019, with principal photography not beginning until February 2020. “Luckily we were able to get everything we needed before the pandemic came and changed everything,” he said.
The COVID-19 restrictions meant he was unable to screen his film on campus in May as originally scheduled.
Schwartz crafted a moving, yet comic, look at the search for love. “MatriMax” features striking performances by his two leads, Krystyn Sayre and Lontrell Anderson, actors from Louisville, Kentucky. They bring real life and chemistry to the roles of two people finding each other.
The other four short films on the program each give a glimpse into the inner workings of these filmmakers’ burgeoning imaginations.
For Sawyer McDavid, that is rooted at home. His “Home Movie,” is a two-minute portrait of his family and their rural homestead.
Seth Grine’s vision in “The Water Fountain” is grim, with a hint of humor. He introduces us to a serial killer with a quirky fascination with water fountains.
Working with found footage Rae Ann Barnes put together a hyperkinetic portrait of the 1950s, complete with a pin-up girl, lab rats, a percolating coffee, and a nuclear explosion.
Morgan Orr presents a thought-provoking and open-ended exploration of bullying and abuse in “Show and Tell.”
Cineposium was yet another example of how the arts programs continue to reach out despite limits on gatherings.
And as Parsil said now may be a time when arts are especially needed. “I encourage anyone and everyone to try and find a creative outlet while we all do our best to adapt to and persist through the hardships that come our way.”
