A blank white screen sits in the darkened Coppola Theatre waiting for the nine original films made by SF State students to light up the darkness when “Collective at the Coppola” a student film festival, screens its eclectic mix of movies.

The carefully selected movies will screen in room 101 of the Fine arts building on March 24 at 7:30 p.m.

The festival showcases student films of all different genres, from comedy to off-the-wall dramas. Most of the films are digital, but there are also some 16mm films that were originally made by cinema majors for class projects. The films range in length from 30 seconds to 38 minutes with the majority of the films being between 10 and 15 minutes long.

“These are some of the best films that we’ve ever gotten at one of our festivals,” said Sam Messe, a senior in cinema and president of the Cinema Collective.

The Cinema Collective is a student-run organization that operates within the cinema department and coordinates the Coppola festival at least twice per semester.

“It was a tough choice to come up with the program, but I think we picked a great, diverse collection of impressive films,” Messe said. “I become more enthused by student films every year and this year is no exception.”

Anyone interested in filmmaking can submit a movie to the Cinema Collective, not just cinema majors.
Phill Matarrese, a senior cinema major and vice president of the club, said that 75 percent of the films submitted to the last festival were from students who had not taken a basic film production class, but regardless of that the films were brilliant.

Friday’s film festival promises a wide range of genres, opening first with the film “A Neighbor like Frank” a dark, but humorous piece by Kyle Spleiss and his two friends, Jeff Kent and Stephen Berke.

In contrast, the festival closes with “Dorra Downtown” by Abe Dieckman, described by Matarrese as a short, cute film that provides inspiration and reminds film makers of why they decided to make movies in the first place.

The Cinema Collective encourages student participation and wants people to get involved. They have weekly meetings on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. in the Casablanca Room, Creative Arts 158, to network and plan events such as barbecues, parties, and their annual 24-hour film festival called Alan Smithee. This film festival brings people together in teams to write, shoot and edit a complete film for screening within 24 hours.

Matarrese said that he hopes the “Collective at the Coppola” festival will not just entertain movie lovers, but provides avenues for learning and inspiration.

“We hope that the filmmakers and other (cinema) students will benefit from the exposure and the feedback” he said. “We give them a venue to exhibit their art and show them that someone cares.”
“We love encouraging students because that helps motivate people to improve their work.”

The Collective at the Coppola event asks for a $2 donation at the door which goes directly to the Cinema Collective to support funding for their many activities.

Messe adds that coming to the festival is not only fun for the audience but inspirational for the filmmakers themselves.

“I really enjoy giving people the chance to see quality student films,” Messe said. “It’s very important to recognize the young filmmakers in this city and I love giving people the opportunity to see other people watch their films on the big screen.”

For more information about “Collective at the Coppola”, the Cinema Collective or future events, visit their Web site at www.cinemacollective.8m.com