Submissions are open for Marshall University students to submit their films for the Marshall Student Film Festival, with the final deadline being Feb. 7. 

Any student is encouraged to submit films and can submit multiple pieces. The films can be any length and genre, including animations and public service announcements. The only requirements for submission are that it must include a Marshall student somewhere in the production process, and the film cannot violate any copyright laws.

“Submitting a film does not depend on experience or necessarily expertise,” Dr. Watler Squire, the director of film studies at Marshall University and co-organizer of the student film festival, said. “There are always some submissions from the video production majors, but students with no experience or from a different major should also participate.”

Students can submit films made for a class assignment or their own personal projects. Squire also stated that students do not have to be the writer or director. As long as they receive permission from those involved, students can submit films where they were part of the production team or performed in. 

Squire said he is most looking forward to the variety of films and allowing students the opportunity to see audiences’ reactions to their work. “Many students have been putting their films on YouTube, so they’re unable to see the audience reaction. This is really a matter of students being able to see their work and get it screened to the public,” Squire said.

This will be the fourth Marshall Student Film Festival; it started in 2017 but took a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first year Marshall will be hosting the festival since the pandemic began. 

Squire expects to see 20 to 30 films ranging in length, and he also expects the festival to be less than three hours long. The festival is free and open to the public and will be held on Wednesday Mar. 8 at 7 p.m. in Smith Hall room 154.

Students can find instructions and guidelines on submitting their work by visiting www.marshall.edu/filmstudies.