2008 Festival DVD's Available Soon:: October 1st

2008 festival compilation DVD's will be available soon! One complimentary DVD set will be sent to each group, team, or individual who submitted a film to the 2008 festival (one complimentary DVD set per submission).

If you would like to purchase additional copies of the 2008 Louisiana Film Festival DVD, you can pre-order from Will Bryant at the Robinson Film Center: (318) 459-4119.

2008 Guest Filmmaker Announced:: March 13th

The Student Division of the Louisiana Film Festival is pleased to announce that Tom Putnam will be this year's guest filmmaker. Putnam will screen his film Tom Hits His Head on Friday April 4 and he will also offer a workshop to all interested student filmmakers on Saturday April 5.

Tom Putnam has been recognized as one of the "New Faces of Independent Film" by Filmmaker Magazine and is a recipient of the Independent Feature Project (IFP) Fast Track Award. He recently completed producing and directing the World War II documentary Red, White, Black & Blue. The feature premiered at the 2006 Locarno International Film Festival, where it was the only American film chosen to be part of the festival's prestigious Critic's Week section. Red, White, Black & Blue had its U.S. broadcast premiere on PBS November 6.

Putnam also wrote, produced, and directed the short film phenomenon Tom Hits His Head, which has played over 200 international film festivals -- more than any other short film in history. Tom Hits His Head qualified for Academy Award consideration and won 15 major awards, including the Spirit of Slamdance at the Slamdance Film Festival and Grand Jury Prize at Aspen Shortsfest, the world's premier short film festival. Tom Hits His Head has been broadcast on PBS and HBO, released theatrically in Europe, and is now available on home video through Vanguard Home Entertainment.

A graduate of the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television, Putnam is a partner in the Los Angeles-based production company Three-Headed Monster with fellow USC classmates Michael Harbour and Jeff Malmberg.

Tom Hits His Head

Tom Hits His Head is an 11 minute dark comedy that reminds us that short films are an art form of their own rather than simply time-constrained feature films. At a total budget of $2500, it also proves you can design a film to fit within a budget and not sacrifice a thing. Tom Hits His Head is a stellar film -- sensitive, funny, sad, sometimes painful but always entertaining -- and it would not be any better for having more money spent on it. It is, in its own way, perfect.

The film, inspired by writer/director Thomas Putnam's real life, follows a young man named Tom who, after suffering a blow to the head, descends into a long period of crippling anxiety. The film uses a low-key narration over wonderfully creative visuals to chronicle the many ways in which Tom's life is turned around as he descends further and further into madness. The combination sets a tone that is both deadly serious and comically light-hearted, allowing the audience to safely explore the world of fear, paranoia, and delusion Tom finds himself swallowed up in. You probably won't see a better depiction of mental illness on the screen and you definitely won't find one so charming.

The techies will also be interested to know that the film's many visual effects were all done in camera (including one composed shot). The choice of using color reversal stock certainly saved money, but the look it gave the film was no compromise; on the contrary, the graininess, contrast, and surreal color all add to the sense of disorientation Tom is experiencing. Everyone who works on low-budget films will benefit from seeing how all of the elements of this film work together to tell a compelling story without breaking anyone's bank. (Chase Gordon)

• OFFICIAL SELECTION: OVER 200 INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS
• Academy Award, *Qualifying for Best Live-Action Short Film
• Slamdance International Film Festival *Winner, Spirit of Slamdance Award
• Aspen Shortsfest *Winner, Grand Jury Prize, Best Comedy
• York International Film Festival (United Kingdom) *Winner, Best Short Film
• Capalbio Cinema Short Film Festival (Rome) *Special Jury Award
• Regensburg Short Film Week (Germany) *Special Jury Award
• Dionysus Film Festival (Los Angeles) *Winner, Best Short Film and Best of Festival
• The Valley Film Festival (Los Angeles) *Winner, Best Short Film
• Black Point Film Festival (Lake Geneva, Wisconsin) *Winner, Best Short Film

2008 Judges List Now Available:: December 28th

The complete list of judges for the 2008 Louisiana Film Festival - Student Division is now available.  Check it out here.  We have an incredible team of judges this year, ranging from award-winning documentary filmmakers to independent television producers, prop manufacturing gurus, and educators.  Check out the list, already!

2008 Festival Details Announced:: November 22nd

• The Louisiana Film Festival – Student Division
• April 4 & 5, 2008
• Centenary College of Louisiana
• Deadline for entries has been extended: February 29^th, 2008

Preparations for the 2008 Louisiana Film Festival Student Division – Louisiana’s only annual K-12 youth media festival – are underway! The fest is scheduled to take place April 4 & 5, 2008 on the campus of Centenary College, offering two days of juried screenings of original media works by K-12 students as well as educational workshops, Q&A sessions with professional filmmakers, and more. The call for entries is now open. Downloadable entry forms as well as rules and regulations are available in the Submit Entry area.

Last year’s judge’s panel included filmmakers, professional animators, college professors, and even a major Hollywood producer. We’re presently working to assemble a panel for 2008 that involves a similarly wide range of film and television experts.

Click here to view a collection of images from the 2007 festival.

If you'd like to request marketing materials such as full-color posters and postcards to share with your students or request that a Louisiana Film Festival organizer visit your class, call Will Bryant at the Robinson Film Center: (318) 459-4119.