Since the start of the spring semester, 19 Emory students have been hard at work screening films from all over the world and discussing their merit as part of a new course called “Creating a Film Festival.”
The students will share their selections at the inaugural Aperture International Student Film Festival (AISFF) presented by the Emory Department of Film and Media, on Tuesday, April 15, at 4 p.m. at the Plaza Theatre in Atlanta. The program is split into two blocks, each followed by talkbacks with filmmakers. The festival is free and open to the public, and no tickets are required.
“Aperture describes the opening that allows light into a camera, but it’s also the opening for an emerging filmmaker to enter the film industry,” says James Pellerito, assistant teaching professor in film and media and teacher of the class.
The class, he explains, is about more than just selecting films; it is about the entire festival infrastructure — everything from programming to on-site logistics to hosting visiting filmmakers. In the days following the Plaza screening, students will participate in a variety of programs and discussions with those filmmakers.
"A student could apply for jobs at film festivals based on the experience gained working on AISFF,” Pellerito adds.
The AISFF lineup features 16 short films — including three by current Emory students — spanning documentary and fiction across genres. In the first week of the semester, students reached out to 50 international film schools to solicit submissions from student filmmakers. The invitation was also posted on FilmFreeway, a festival hub for filmmakers from across the globe. The class received more than 100 submissions for consideration.
“An audience can expect to see some of the best undergraduate and graduate films from around the world,” Pellerito says. “There are documentaries, animated films, dramas, comedies, international films with subtitles. There is no film more than 20 minutes long. It’s like taking a vacation but remaining in the Plaza Theatre.”
Crafting a film festival program
“All deliberation happened in class,” Pellerito says of the process of selecting films. “It’s a democracy, so everyone’s opinion matters.”
For his part, Pellerito tried not to weigh the scales too much in either direction when discussing a possible selection, but he did offer students some helpful advice from his decades of experience as a festival programmer. He is the co-founder and director of the New York City Short Film Festival, which has been running for more than 20 years.
“I told them a film can look absolutely gorgeous, but if it’s empty, it’s not a great film,” he says.
What was considered a great film, though, was ultimately left to the students, who Pellerito says “are amazing, really perceptive and show excellent judgment.”
Kayleena Nguyen, a sophomore studying film and business, says there were many factors to consider when putting together the festival’s lineup, especially given its international scope: “There was a lot of discussion, a lot of voting, and we were able to counter each other in ways that were productive to creating the program. We wanted a variety of voices not only in the lineup but also in the classroom as we were making decisions.”
“We wanted to give space to a lot of different storytelling and visual backgrounds,” adds Anna Zhai, a sophomore film major.
The effort to create what Zhai calls a “well-rounded” lineup meant making some tough decisions. Classmate Peter Loiselle, a senior film and computer science double major, agrees.
“There were often two films that we really liked,” he says, “but one of them was similar to the other and one was slightly better than the other. And we could only pick one.” Otherwise, he adds, there would be either topical or narrative redundancy.
As a filmmaker himself, Pellerito emphasized the importance of treating each submitted film with care. “It takes the same amount of work to make a strong film as it does to make a weak film,” he says.
Pellerito’s own recent short film, “I Wanted to Hear Your Voice,” will premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto later this month.
A robust film community
Loiselle says the fact that the class included three shorts by Emory students in the festival lineup speaks to the strength and depth of the film community on campus.
“The Emory film community is full of a lot of really passionate people,” he says. “I think that helps people feed off each other, because people have different goals. Some want to be a writer or a director, and maybe someone wants to be a producer or a festival programmer. The idea that there are all these people that care so much helps us elevate each other.”
Lingxi Li, whose short psychological drama “Duplicity” is showing at AISFF, says she couldn’t have completed her film without the help of her friends and classmates who are a part of that community.
“While I was the driving force behind this piece,” she says, as the co-director, cinematographer and editor, “I have a lot of really amazing Emory classmates who helped me making this film into a reality. Filmmaking is about teamwork. I cannot do everything by myself. Most of the gear was provided by the Emory Film and Media rental desk,” adds Li, a senior double majoring in film and media and sociology.
David Berenfeld made his film “Kid with a Camera” as an assignment in a documentary class at Emory taught by David Barba, assistant professor of film and media. Through a lifetime of archival footage that changes in shape with the advancing technology of passing years, Berenfeld explores how he balances his own desire to be a filmmaker with his goal of becoming a doctor — and how his time at Emory has helped him make sense of pursuing a dual-track dream. He hopes his film will resonate with fellow students who are seeking that same equilibrium.
"That’s an experience a lot of students in the film department have,” he says. “There are a lot of double majors, and the department attracts people with different interests.” Berenfeld, who developed his love for filmmaking in his early years, says “Kid with a Camera” is about maintaining and cultivating one’s passions regardless of career choice: “It is worth exploring and integrating those ambitions into our adult lives.”
Pellerito adds that the festival also reflects Emory’s commitment to engaging with Atlanta’s robust film community.
“The Plaza is a spectacular venue,” he says, noting that it’s “an honor and a privilege” to host the festival at the city’s the longest-running independent theater, open since 1939. “Their programming throughout the year is excellent and really supportive of the film community. And it’s a connection with Atlanta. Emory Film and Media is reaching out and becoming a bigger player in the film community in Atlanta.”
Emory student films showing at AISFF
“Duplicity”
Directed by Lingxi Li and Anna Pomahac
After being accused of assaulting a classmate, a celebrated student undergoes a tense evaluation with the school psychiatrist.
“Kid with a Camera”
Directed by David Berenfeld
A student reflects on his origins as he attempts to balance his ambition of becoming a doctor with his passion for filmmaking.
“That’s What You Do”
Cinematography by Daisy Macias
A student’s dream of attending law school conflicts with his father's expectation that he help run the family restaurant. (Directed by Henna Dossani, Savannah College of Art and Design)