| LAFSC Students Honored, Director Noted for Expertise |
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LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The Los Angeles Film Studies Center (LAFSC), a BestSemester program of the CCCU, has been recognized through the work of both recent students and program director Rebecca Ver Straten-McSparran.
This year, for the first time, an LAFSC student film was accepted into the Annual Dam Short Film Festival. Out of 700 entries, only 120 films were accepted, many from nations around the world. The festival took place Feb. 7-9, 2008 at the Boulder Theatre. The film, “The Duet,” created by LAFSC students during the Hollywood Production Workshop class in the spring 2007 semester, received high praise from its audience, including Desi Arnaz Jr., Lucille Ball’s son. Arnaz created The Annual Desi Award this year specifically to honor “The Duet,” his festival favorite.
LAFSC alumni who worked on the project include the following crew:
- Producers: Rob Morrison (Greenville College) and Lindsey Kalck (North Park University)
- Director/Editor: Erin Brown (Malone College)
- Writer: Drew Riese (George Fox University)
- 1st Asst Director: Lindsey Ward (Oral Roberts University)
- Directors of Photography: Matt Gillette and Diana Humphrey (both from Spring Arbor University)
- Sound Editors: Andi Bonk (Evangel University) and Ian Bramble (Eastern University)
Films such as “The Duet,” created by student crews in the Hollywood Production Workshop class, are the culmination of the entire semester at LAFSC. While students have been producing quality eight-minute films for this class for years, it has been only recently that students have been able to meet festival requirements and save enough money from their budget after production to be able to enter film festivals.
Ver Straten-McSparran has written a chapter in the book Reframing Theology and Film: New Focus for an Emerging Discipline, published by Baker Academic. The book is part of the “Cultural Exegesis” series edited by Robert K. Johnston, author of Reel Spirituality. Reel Spirituality has become a textbook commonly used in most of CCCU film studies classes. Reframing Theology and Film is a collection of essays written by more than a dozen scholars to explore how the discipline of theology and film can flourish and mature.
The 12 semester- or summer-long student programs offered by the CCCU are categorized as either culture-shaping programs or culture-crossing programs. Culture-shaping programs are: American Studies Program (Washington, D.C.); Contemporary Music Center (Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.); Los Angeles Film Studies Center (L.A., Calif.); and Washington Journalism Center (Washington, D.C.). Included in the culture-crossing programs are: Australia Studies Centre; China Studies Program; Latin American Studies Program; Middle East Studies Program; Programmes in Oxford; Russian Studies Program; and Uganda Studies Program. All programs undergo regular site visit evaluations by the Student Academic Programs Commission (SAPC).
The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities is a higher education association of 182 intentionally Christ-centered institutions around the world. There are now 105 member campuses in North America and all are fully-accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities with curricula rooted in the arts and sciences. In addition, 77 affiliate campuses from 24 countries are part of the CCCU. The Council’s mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help its institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.
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Posted
February 29, 2008
For media inquiries, contact:
Nate Mouttet
nmouttet@cccu.org
voice: 202.546.8713 ext. 329
