Shannon KeoughFor up and coming filmmakers, film festivals are an excellent way to showcase talent and to reach a wider audience. Festivals like Cannes and Sundance can launch the careers of new talent.
Three Cabrini students hope to host a film festival of their own here at Cabrini. The project is only in the hypothetical planning stages, but if successful it could be a tremendous thing for those involved, Cabrini and students alike.
Pete Yarnall, a transfer communication major, Joe Cahill, junior communication major and Chris Sarvadi, freshman communication major, have hopes that they can make a Cabrini film festival happen. The three are involved with Cabrini’s video program, Loqation and share a universal love for movies.
“Right now the possibilities are endless.if we put all of our work into it; hopefully we can make this happen,” Cahill said.
Yarnall is the ringleader of the group. He has much experience in film, often creating and releasing short films. Yarnall started a film festival at his high school and it ended up being a great thing for them, as students became quite creative with video.
He hopes to do the same at Cabrini while he is here. Yarnall said that the big issue is time and that the project is in its preliminary stages.
Cabrini is well known for having a strong communication program, with the award winning Loquitur, WYBF radio station and the new Loqation news video show.
As a transfer student, Yarnall has only been here a few weeks, but thinks that a film festival is the last piece that Cabrini is missing.
Dr. Paul Wright, professor of English, is all for the idea of a student-driven film festival at Cabrini. Since the indie-film explosion of the mid-90s, Wright feels that “the tools to make a movie are more accessible than ever.”
He also would like to have Yarnall and Cahill revive the Cabrini Film Society, which is currently defunct due to the loss of many members to graduation. Anyone interested in helping in the film society’s revival should contact Wright.
Wright said that the partnership Cabrini has with the Bryn Mawr Film Institute would also aid in the production of a film festival.
Wright said of the possibility of the film festival, “I love the idea.I think it’s great, just a question of when and how.” Wright thinks that funding would not be very difficult as long as we’re not charging for tickets. If so, there would be an issue over rights.
There’s always the option of putting film and video work on the internet, but Yarnall thinks that the feeling of a real live film festival is something unrivaled by internet success or popularity.
“It’s one thing to put something on YouTube; it’s another to see it on the big screen.for people to tell you to your face that they loved it,” Yarnall said.
The crew are unsure when the festival will happen at this point, since it is in the early planning stages.
However, the earliest time period would be this spring, if everything were to fall together perfectly and support from Cabrini was avid.
Cahill said that the film festival is “not about the money. It’s just about loving what we do.”
