UA Film & Television Program Applauds the Talent and Diversity of Student Filmmakers at I Dream in Widescreen

Tucson, Arizona – I Dream in Widescreen returns to Fox Tucson Theatre on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 7:00pm.  The event showcases BFA Thesis films created by the talented filmmaking students from the University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film & Television.

This annual film presentation and competition is the first opportunity to see the original films from the student filmmakers from the UA Film & Television program before they take their work to major film festivals all over the world.  Students from the program have gone on to present their films at Sundance, the Berlin Film Festival, Palm Springs ShortFest and, most recently, the Culver City Film Festival in Los Angeles, where 2017 graduate Isabelle Smith screened her BFA thesis film Kiss.  The film will also be shown at the Richmond International Film Festival in Virginia later this month.

“We are delighted by the recognition the films are receiving and for the growing industry support of our event,” said Professor Beverly Seckinger. “This year, we are welcoming many great sponsors from the film industry, including new sponsor Adobe and returning sponsors Fancy Film Post, Entertainment Partners, Pollution Studios, Other World Computing, Neil Benton Arts & Entertainment, as well as the UA Hanson Film Institute and the Tucson Film Office. These sponsors are offering wonderful and meaningful awards to celebrate our talented students’ accomplishments and help them continue to make films.”

The graduating BFA filmmakers will compete for over $6000 of awards including cash prizes, gift certificates, software and studio credit that students can use to further their creative work and provide them with tools necessary to advance their careers in the industry. With the addition of two new awards sponsored by Adobe, there are now a total of nine awards: The Tucson Film Office New Filmmaker Award, The Fancy Film Award for Excellence in Screenwriting, The Pollution Studios Award for Excellence in Cinematography, The UA Hanson Film Institute Award for Excellence in Production Design, The Entertainment Partners Award for Excellence in Producing, The Neil Benton Arts & Entertainment Award for Best Acting, The OWC Award for Excellence in Editing, the Adobe Award for Excellence in Sound Design and the Adobe Award for Excellence in Title Design.

From Catherine Hilbert’s outrageous comedy Delta Mu Nu to Carolyn McKee’s visually dazzling Snooze to the chilling portrait of a split personality in Alicia Farmer’s James, this year’s thesis films are as varied as they are original. Many are inspired by personal experience. Victoria Pereira called upon her love of music for Syncopate. An avid climber, Cullen Hamblen used his extensive knowledge of Southern Arizona mountain ranges to shoot spectacular sequences for his film Norazia.

The event has an impressive list of jurors including Marissa Devins, Partner in the Television Literary Department at United Talent Agency; Katie Walsh, an LA Times film critic whose syndicated Tribune News Service reviews appear in over 200 newspapers nationwide; and Joseph T. Garrity, Senior Filmmaker-in-Residence in Production Design at The American Film Institute Conservatory.

Graduates from the UA Film and Television program have achieved success in writing, directing, development, production, talent management, cinematography and special effects. Notable alumni include Academy Award-winning director, Ari Sandel (West Bank Story); producer, Scott Stuber (Ted, Ted 2, The Third Wheel); 20^th Century Fox Visual FX Executive, John Kilkenny (X-Men, Life of Pi, Titanic); and Digital Agent for United Talent Agency, Kendall Aliment Ostrow.

I Dream In Widescreen is made possible with support from the UA School of Theatre, Film and Television’s Student Differential Tuition Funds, the UA Hanson Film Institute, the UA Student Faculty Interaction Program, The Fox Tucson Theatre, and Ricoh.  The School of Theatre, Film & Television is also proud to have Rica and Harvey* Spivak as the Screening Sponsor for this event.

Event Contacts:

• Assistant Professor Jacob Bricca – 520.626.2847 | jbricca@email.arizona.edu
• Julie Vance, Director of Marketing – 520.626.2686 | julievance@email.arizona.edu
• To request an advance online screener of films, please contact Beverly Seckinger at (520) 250-0523 or bsecking@email.arizona.edu.

Films may contain mature themes, adult language and/or graphic images.