Strand Theater's balcony theater Simplex projector & soundhead, with Strong lamphouse. (photo courtesy of the Strand Theater)
Four documentary films produced by Ohio Wesleyan University students will premiere Saturday at The Strand Theater in downtown Delaware.
The fifth-annual OWU Documentary Film Festival is free of charge and open to the public. This year’s entrees include:
- 7:30 p.m., “In Search Of a Home,†produced by Prakrity Silway ’10 and Jaclyn Chauvaux ’09, will present an overview of the people and services offered at the Delaware Area Humane Society. This film documents the challenges created by an ever-increasing number of stray pets, and features interviews with staff, volunteers, and clients. (22 minutes, 2009)
- 8 p.m., “Empty Cupboards,†directed and edited by Renee Colvin ’09 and Jen Shepard ’11, shows how Columbus’s food pantries have been challenged by rising food prices and decreasing public donations resulting from the current economic crisis. (11 minutes, 2009)
- 8:20 p.m., “People At The Gates†by filmmaker Pam Skehan ’09, profiles the annual protest by thousands at the gates of the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Ga. Some graduates of the federally funded school have been linked to human rights violations in Latin America. This year, 33 OWU students joined in the procession to honor the lives of those lost, to stand in solidarity with Latin America, and to celebrate U.S. democracy. (25 minutes, 2009)
- 8:50 p.m., “Sukumbashi: Life Under the Shadow,†produced by Prakrity Silwal ’10, who shows the harsh living conditions and daily challenges faced by people living in squatter communities in Nepal. Silwal shows people in their struggles to find employment, food, and clean drinking water. This documentary also shows the community’s grass-roots efforts to protect their rights and educate their children. (21 minutes, 2008)
The student film producers will be present for short discussions following each showing. The films being screened are the final class projects for students enrolled in the Ethnographic and Documentary Film and Filmmaking course taught each fall at the Audio Visual Center.
“It’s really remarkable to work with the students as they learn the process of making these films,†said Chuck Della Lana, manager of audio visual services, who teaches the course with Mary Howard, Ph.D., a sociology/anthropology professor and department chair.
The Strand Theatre is on east Winter Street between Union and Sandusky Streets.
Wow, I wish we were there to see these docs. What an awesome event. You know, Hogan is from the Delaware County Humane Society…so I’m a little partial to that organization!!
All I’m gonna say is “I can not wait till next week” !!