Hosted by the university’s film department, Oglethorpe’s fifth annual Last Looks Student Film Festival hit the ground running on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.. The event took place in Lupton Auditorium, hosting students, guests, and faculty, alongside prolific judges from Atlanta’s booming film industry, all striding through the front doors on Last Looks’ signature red carpet. The festival’s namesake reflected this community night of review, with “last looks” being a term used by film crews to signal a final check of the set and actors before the cameras start rolling.
The film department’s enthusiasm for students to submit for the film festival was palpable. Brian Bremer—professor, on-camera actor, voice actor, and television producer, who also aided in organizing the event—stated, “Any chance you have to put your work in front of people as hard as it may be and as shy as you may be about your message, you have to get your work out there. It’s not made to be presented in a vacuum.”
Bremer also emphasized how the work of the students who participate in the festival every year showed the growth of the film department. Comparing the festival from three years ago to now, he believed the students’ works were growing as they further embraced their understanding of creative concepts and used them to get their message out. The festival prided itself on its diverse initiatives in storytelling, with the Capturing Culture category, organized by OU’s Weltner Consulting Agency, being a recurring main theme.
V.I.P. guests and judges for the event were chosen from contacts of the Film and Media Studies (FMS) faculty. Of those invited were Angi Bones, the President of Original Programming at Tyler Perry Studios; Terrence Battle, an award-winning producer and entrepreneur; Jim Farmer, the Festival Director for Out On Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQIA+ film festival; Ben Hall, with Marianna Motion Pictures and the Production Sustainability Advisor for Netflix; and Caroline Rumley, a filmmaker from the South with internationally-screened works.
A V.I.P.-exclusive event preceding the film festival also granted past winners a chance to network and socialize, further emphasizing Oglethorpe’s goal to connect students with the broader film industry in Atlanta. “This aids in developing relationships with production companies, casting agencies, and other working professionals,” Nicholas Zakos, Digital Media Lab coordinator and organizer of the university’s film equipment, said. “When the judges and V.I.P.s see the work the students have done, they can recognize and remember the quality of the film makers who submit work to the festival.”
The Last Looks judges issued awards based on multiple criteria. Among genre-based awards were Best Narrative, Best Documentary, Best Experimental, and Best Promotional. The Best Overall and Capturing Culture honors were given out on a scale of first, second, and third place. Additionally, for the first time, the audience voted for one submission to be named the Audience Favorite.
After deliberation, the following were recognized:
First Place Overall - “Juliette” (dir. Emma Jean Scott & Devlynn Miller)
Second Place Overall - “Divided We Fall” (dir. Paul Danner)
Third Place Overall - “passing pictures” (dir. Niya Young)
Best Narrative - “Number One” (dir. Brody Young)
Best Experimental - “What is Symmetry?” (dir. Megan Cobley)
Best Promotional - “Japan E-Term Documentary Trailer” (dir. Valeria Castro)
Best Documentary - “What is Home?” (dir. Nina Melo)
First Place Capturing Culture - “What is Home?” (dir. Nina Melo)
Second Place Capturing Culture - “passing pictures” (dir. Niya Young)
Third Place Capturing Culture - “childish (the movie)” (dir. Sean Aroni)
Audience Favorite - “Juliette” (dir. Emma Jean Scott & Devlynn Miller)
Best Documentary and first place in Capturing Culture winner, Nina Melo, showcased a documentary, titled, “What is Home?” which highlights the voices of students who migrated to the United States, expressing the challenges they face with their identity and culture as they assimilate to American culture. Melo stated, “If it weren’t for the film festival, nobody else would get to see [my film], and I feel like that’s a really good resource and platform to share your work so that other people can feel touched by it, too.”
Emma Jean Scott, with her sapphic poetic love story short film, “Juliette” won first place in Overall. “The poem itself was meant to encapsulate the longing I experienced growing up as a queer girl, and the inevitable childhood crushes we have,” Scott said. “That first spark you feel burns itself in your heart; it changes you. I wanted to capture that.” Scott admitted that she never intended for her creative work to be a film, but once she rediscovered her old poem, the need to visually showcase it arose within her. And, with an equally passionate cast and crew, her short film was able to touch viewers’ hearts.
Last year’s first place in Overall winner for “Janitor 988,” Justin Edwards, showcased two musical films, “Do or Die” and “Descending Souls” at the festival. He stated that being able to make the films happen was a “rewarding process” after having the honor to work with many other talents after the previous film festival. He added, “I just think it’s extremely rewarding to share your work with other people, and it’s a great platform to do so.” Edwards’ musical submissions left the audience nodding their heads and humming along.
Some of this year’s submitters decided to go a more personal route with their films. Lando Nunez-Espinoza’s “Mi Ama” and Niya Young’s “passing pictures” both gave insights to their own lives. In “Mi Ama,” Nunez-Espinoza documents his mother in sentimental shots as she opens up about her experience as an immigrant in America, providing viewers with a thought-provoking perspective. He stated, “The plan was to have an honest discussion with my mom about what it means to be an immigrant in the United States because I think for a long time you don’t realize what it means to be an immigrant.” Espinoza aimed to show why people are coming to the United States, regardless of their political stances, hoping to shine a light on how hard it is.
In “passing pictures,” which also won third place in Overall and the second place Capturing Culture award, Young documents visiting her old house in Ohio, capturing both how much it has grown and how much she has grown. She noted how excited she was for her parents to be there at the festival to see her work. She stated, “At Oglethorpe, I feel like when you do films, you kind of have to learn how to do things by yourself and I feel like that helps you become a better visual storyteller just cause you learn how to do everything from lighting to sound to cinematography, writing, and directing.” Because of the tight-knit community Oglethorpe provides, Young believed the independence helps tell stories and various mediums, whether it be through sound or visuals. She also submitted a horror short, “This is Not An AD,” about two girls willing to kill for an expensive pair of headphones. With this film, she stated, “I just wanted to entertain them and show something that's different and innovative. I just wanted to show a different side of what I can do.”
No stranger to the festival, Brody Young displayed two unique short films: “Number One” and “Suburban Yellow,” both films with Brody’s distinctive style. “Number One” is about an injured superheroine, advised by her friends not to go back out in the rain to fight an unseen threat; “Suburban Yellow” explores the character’s curiosity and impulse to ring a mysterious yellow bell that appears in his neighborhood. Having won in 2022 with first Overall, in 2023 with Best Narrative, and in 2024 with third Overall, Brody stated how helpful being honored in the past has been for him: “When I first started, I was very anxious about it. I didn’t really like other people seeing my work and all that stuff. But when I did that first film festival here, I won it. I knew where I wanted to go from there.” Brody acknowledged how showing his work in festivals has also helped him track his growth and goals as an artist.
Some students even showcased their niche interests at the festival. Ethan Snipes premiered his film “Observed,” a passion project science-fiction narrative drama about the curiosity he feels every time he looks up at the night sky. He explained how the idea was brewing ever since he had the opportunity to gaze upon the stars through an observatory. Spines’ other film, “Space Mining,” is an experimental piece, focusing on the relationship between nature and space exploration through intentional shots. Snipes stated, “I hope that my pieces leave a lasting impression on the audience and give them something to take home with them. I am very grateful that both of my pieces were accepted for inclusion in the festival program, and I am so excited to see everybody else's work.”
This year’s Last Looks festival was not only a celebration of the student talent, but also of the film department nearing its seventh year at Oglethorpe. According to Zakos, the festival debuted in parallel with the Film and Media Studies major, continuing its strides to improvement in showcasing students' work. Zakos stated, “Participation in the festival is an opportunity to get feedback on the work the students have done to target areas of growth in the relevant film making skills.” Ultimately, Oglethorpe’s film festival exposes student’s work to a wider audience, allowing them to get a taste of the real-world and possibilities after college.
