The Keene State Film Department is celebrating the end of the academic year with two film festivals highlighting student works.
The Film Department Capstone Festival will be held on April 25 and 26 at 1 p.m and at 5 p.m, and the Film Department Student Film Festival will be held on April 30 at 7 p.m, both in the Putnam Theater.
The Capstone Festival will showcase 14 capstone films, written and directed by senior film students.
“We’re on track to have a great collection of films,” said Film Studies Department Chair Jo Dery. “They’re [capstone students] in the final push.”
Dery said her favorite part of hosting the capstone festival is the energy that comes from the event.
“It’s a really joyous event. It’s lovely to see the students get dressed up and be there with your family and friends,” she said. “It’s just triumphant and joyous.”
Dery said that she hopes students will take their collaborative experience away from their capstone projects.
“You learn so much about yourself and other people and working with other people, and all of that [are] skills that you take into any workplace,” she said.
Professor Ted White, the other Film Capstone professor, along with Dery, said that he noticed an extra level of maturity in capstone students’ work this year.
“They’re very insightful about each other’s projects, they give excellent feedback and they just have fun,” said White.
White recommends that all students come and check out the festival.
“I think they’ll be really impressed with the students’ work,” he said. “They don’t lack motivation, and it’s very fun and really gratifying to see that whole process.”
White said that what he enjoys most about the Capstone Festival is that the students are able to breathe after their projects are finished.
“They can just sit back and be an audience member as opposed to feeling like there’s still more work to be done,” he said. “To have this whole new audience who hasn’t really been involved in the filmmaking come to the screenings and be amazed and surprised at what they see is just delightful and really rewarding.”
Zach Haines, Film Equipment and Operations Manager for the Film Department, said that he has enjoyed helping students with their projects.
“I’ve been really impressed by the skills, passion and ambitions the students have brought to the projects,” Haines said.
“It’s been great to be able to just help give advice here and there on how to best accomplish the look and feel of these projects with the great technology and resources the students have available to them in the Film Department,” he added. “Whether it be helping plan out ideas for on-location lighting set-ups or advise in the editing process.”
The Student Film Fest highlights work from first-year to senior students from all classes, according to Dery.
“We share narrative, documentary, experimental and animation,” she said. “[There is] even some work made on 16mm film.”
Both festivals are free for all students. More information and seating can be found on Instagram at @keenestatefilm.
Emily Sloane can be contacted at
