Ian Nolte, a Marshall English professor teaching film studies, said there will be 22 films screened at next week’s Student Film Festival. 

“We have a really strange and diverse lineup of film products,” Nolte said. “Everything from narrative short stories, music videos, personal documentaries about people’s families, even experimental and abstract animations.” 

This year, alumni were allowed to participate due to the previous pandemic. Of the 22 selected films, four are alumni projects. 

All selected films are honored with distinctions; however, there will be one awarded first place, which includes a cash prize. The film festival is judged by a jury of film studies professors, but it is not a closed screening. Nolte said everyone could enjoy the festival, student or otherwise.

“It’s really an evening of entertainment if you like sitting in the dark and watching movies,” Nolte said.

“This year is under two hours, so it’s kind of like watching a feature film, but there is a lot of diversity packed into the same amount of time,” Nolte said. 

The student film festival started at Marshall in 2017 before the video production major existed at Marshall. Nolte said a group of students were frequently making personal films, and the professors wanted to give them a place to share it. In 2021, there was an event planned and then canceled due to the Delta variant of COVID-19. This is the first film festival since 2020 the event has taken place as there was not a virtual version.

“I’m so excited to get back to sitting in a room with an audience. The screen is big and bright, the sound is good; it’s a great place to see a movie,” Nolte said. “There’s an underground movie vibe and snacks afterward.”

The Marshall Student Film Festival will take place on Wed. Mar. 8 at 7:00 p.m. at Smith Music Hall in Room 154. Nolte encouraged everyone to attend because, “This is a place to see things you’ll literally never see anywhere else.”