This year’s West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival will dive into the systemic challenges of local, national and global health.
Hosted by the Electronic Media program in the West Virginia University School of Art & Design, the three-day festival accepts narrative, documentary, animation, experimental, virtual reality and student pieces on any subject and annually highlights a topical theme in contemporary culture.
“Whether we speak of physical health and personal well-being, the unravelling of the social fabric, our contentious politics or our threatened environment, the current health of these and other systems that provide stability to our world seems to be tenuous or faltering,” said Gerald Habarth, coordinator and associate professor of electronic media. “What remains to be seen is how and in what direction these dynamics will continue to evolve. This year’s festival includes a special screening of works that explore these and similar questions.”
In it’s 7th year, the festival is a non-profit event and admission to screenings is free. There are no rules governing content or artist approach, but all films must be 20-minutes or less.
“Our mission is to foster creative and artistic approaches to these genres while connecting WVU, our students and the surrounding Morgantown community to the world of independent filmmaking and new media art,” Habarth said.
Submissions will be screened in Morgantown March 24-26. For more information on the festival, visit:
https://www.westvirginiamountaineershortfilmfestival.com
Friday, March 24
Metropolitan Theatre
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Shorts and Animations
8:30 p.m. to 11p.m.: Short Narratives and Experimental
Saturday, March 25
Creative Arts Center, Bloch Hall
10:30 a.m. - noon: Short Narratives (family oriented content)
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.: Panel Discussion: "New Voices: Reinventing Diversity in a White Medium"
3 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Documentaries
5 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Food, Refreshments and Awards
6p.m. to 8 p.m.: “Health” theme and Documentaries
8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.: Experimental (Animation, Video Art, Political Art, Abstraction)
Saturday, March 25
Creative Arts Center, Falbo Theater
Noon to 5 p.m.: Virtual Reality Selections
Sunday, March 26
Creative Arts Center, Falbo Theater
Noon to 1 p.m.: Under 18 Filmmakers
1 p.m. to 2 p.m.: Student works
2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.: International Short Films