HWS News
11 December 2024 Media & Society’s Shorts Film Festival By Sydney Herbruck '25
The Media & Society Program's film festival featured six short films with various topics, genres and styles from the U.S., the UK, Japan, Kenya and Brazil.
Senior Seminar students in the Media & Society Program proudly hosted the Shorts Film Festival, a marquee event celebrating the dedication and creativity of this talented group. This semester's festival, organized by the Fall 2024 Media & Society Senior Seminar class in November, showcased a selected lineup of six outstanding short films, chosen through a rigorous process.
Led by Associate Professor of Media & Society Leah Shafer, the senior seminar provides students with an opportunity to dive into the inner workings of the media industry, gaining practical experience that prepares them for future careers. Students are encouraged to lead real-world media projects culminating in this festival, which represents a genuine testament to their skills and commitment. For this specific project, students watched hundreds of films in order to determine the six they wanted to display during the festival.
“I am so impressed and thrilled with the students for taking charge of the event and executing an engaging and entertaining evening,” says Shafer. “Nearly 50 audience members were treated to films ranging from Japanese documentaries about post-tsunami mourning to animated re-tellings of Leonora Carrington short stories, to satirical comedies with a dark twist.”
The selected films explore universal themes of loss, resilience, connection and community, weaving stories from a range of perspectives and cultural contexts.
“I really enjoyed working with the marketing and planning committee to organize and facilitate the event," says Mia Tetrault ’25, a Media & Society major, from Los Angeles, Calif. "Collectively as a class, we watched more than 200 films. As a co-curator, I selected the short films and arranged them around the central themes of loss, hardship, connection, and community. They bring diversity and unique storytelling to the festival,” adds Tetrault.
Brooke Prochniak ’25 says the experience was a fitting and challenging capstone for her Media & Society major. “Creating a shorts film festival pushed me to combine both my soft skills, like collaboration and leadership, with technical skills in tools like Canva and iMovie,” shares Prochniak from Oreland, Penn. “It was extremely rewarding to watch our class create something from scratch and see it succeed.”
Shafer praised the students’ hard work and creativity, saying, “The film festival asked them to apply critical thinking, to complete hands-on creative work and to collaborate productively. I’m so proud of what they accomplished.”
Each of the 16 students in the seminar contributed unique skills and dedication to make this festival possible, resulting in a captivating event that brought their learning to life for the community.
Pictured above, Senior Seminar students in the Media & Society Program meet to discuss and organize the 2024 Shorts Film Festival.
