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Last Thursday the Maine Channel held their 2nd Annual Film Festival in Room 101, Neville Hall. The festival, which featured a multitude of student films, drew a large crowd, filling much of the lecture hall. The audience was treated to popcorn, candy, soda and pizza before the films were shown, but when the lights finally went down, after some technical difficulties, the crowd was eager to see what kind of film talent the University of Maine had to offer.
The festival began with a 13-minute film entitled “Honor Among Thieves,” directed by Paul Goodman. This epic tale of camaraderie, theft and Michael Bolton, was told from the perspective of one of the thieves. His fast-paced, foul-mouthed commentary drew plenty of laughs, as did the ridiculous situations shown throughout the film. It was certainly a great way to start the show and set the tone for the films to come.
Next was “Thinking With Portals,” also directed by Paul Goodman in addition to Kurt Krohne. This film, part of a capstone project, was a special effects masterpiece, playing on the idea of the video game “Portal.” In the film, the main character happened upon a portal that took him on his own mini-adventure.
“Alex the Dimwitted Carpenter,” directed by Greg Wonder, was the biography of a fictional man named Alex who wasn’t exactly the brightest bulb. It was supposedly an installment of the show “Lifestyles of the Mundane and Useless,” and lived up to this expectation. The film got its share of laughs, of course, especially during the purposefully awkward changes in camera angle as the host Marty Stevens told Alex’s story.
The mockumentary on hamburgers entitled “Mad Cow Disease” was a ridiculous look at the familiar dish. Directed by Thomas Barrows, the film was a combination of “Fast Food Nation” and “Borat,” featuring narration by a foreign man in a absurd dialect. The subtitles only enhanced the absurdity of the material on screen, as the camera went behind the scenes in one local restaurant and to a backyard.
“Papyrus” was a unique animated short directed by Peter Rimkunas. It showed the process of ancient Egyptian papyrus being constructed through flying black and white images. It was an impressive piece of artwork and ingenuity.
Next was a short film about betrayal and dishonesty. “Bang Bang,” directed by Joseph Pelletier, was the dark tale of an unfaithful lover and the revenge one man seeks on her. While a bit depressing, it was powerful.
“A-13,” directed by Brian Monahan, was a trippy film, ripe with post-production effects. It was based around two books, but mainly consisted of jerky images over its approximately three-minute run time.
The film that ended the first half of the festival was perhaps the most poignant. Consisting of just audio and still pictures, “Back Home” tells the story of a woman facing economic pressures and dealing with the American healthcare system. A touching narrative with powerful imagery, director Colin McGovern certainly got to the core of issues facing many people.
After a short intermission, the crowd filed back into their seats. The first film up was a documentary by David Nickerson on the Alaska Folk Festival. The film was extremely well done, encompassing a variety of footage to capture the music, people and fellowship present at the festival. It had a professional feel, and gave the audience a perspective on a culture all the way across the country.
“The Missing Ladder,” another film directed by Greg Wonder, was a short look at a man trying to find a ladder. Keeping the same themes as Wonder’s previous work, there were laughs, but the best part was perhaps Tom Waits’ raspy vocals.
Director Joseph Pelletier had another film in the festival. “Life, With a Soundtrack” exemplified how an intense soundtrack can make any everyday event seem extraordinary. The account of one man’s bowel movements was far from the most appropriate of tasks to set to an epic soundtrack, but it elicited much laughter.
The one-minute commercial for “Bruno’s Bargain Taxidermy” was a comical prelude to “Puncher,” directed by Patrick Gill. “Puncher,” a crowd favorite, was a ludicrous tale of friendship, betrayal and, of course, punching. The nearly 10-minute film told the tale of two fighters who trained together for many years until the lure of monetary wealth made one man betray the other. The film was completely absurd, but incredibly funny, featuring an original soundtrack and plenty of comical awkwardness. While the artistic quality may not have been top-notch, the hilarious songs, outfits and dialogue certainly hit the nail on the head.
“Runaway,” directed by Kevin Bailey, was an inspirational look at one man’s relationship with running. It was a poignant tale of how far a little support from friends and family can go, and how running can be a meditative, yet difficult undertaking.
Next, director Shane Perry’s short film “Coffee for My Sugar” was a cute story about one man’s trip to a coffee shop. It was shot in sepia tone – a nice touch, and seemed to offer a bit of social commentary about how annoying people on cell phones can be. Overall, it was an undeniably sweet film.
As the film festival began to come to an end, the audience was treated to the entertaining “Mr. Sandwich,” directed by Derrick Cameron. This two-minute movie featured one man waking up, checking his e-mail and realizing he had, much to his surprise, a sandwich in his pants.
“Dreaming Tree,” another film by Monahan, was another far-out and experimental short featuring more impressive editing effects.
Lastly, Cameron offered another film titled “Buyout.” This film was also experimental, as it was played twice, though each showing was slightly different. The film told the story of a shady business deal, each time from a slightly different perspective.
Unlike the previous festival, there were no judges or winners. “This year, we wanted to just show the films, not have a competition,” said David Nickerson, who was in charge of the event. There was a viewer’s choice pick, the winner of which will be announced later. Every film had something to offer, and it was once again a great showcase of the talented individuals at UMaine.
Bangor Daily News