Spring Break
The Daily OrangeAlumni-created film festival to debut in NYC
By Andrew Kase
Posted: 4/30/07, 10:35 PM EST Section: Feature
SU alumni Luke Szczygielski and Thomas O'Malley were frustrated with the current American film festival atmosphere, so they decided to create their very own event.
"One thing is that a lot of bigger festivals and people care about how many A-list stars you have in your movie," Szczygielski said. "They have lost sight what they're truly meant to do is to highlight independent art films."
The 2006 College of Visual and Performing Arts graduates channeled their collective interest in movies to create the American Cinematic Experience (ACE) Film Festival, a three-day event scheduled for Aug. 24-26 in New York City as part of the River to River Festival.
"We both went to VPA, and he (Tom) himself always liked film, even though I was doing animation," Szczygielski said. "We took some electives together, and that's how we met up, and we had some sort of passion."
Szczygielski and O'Malley were irritated with some of the school programs SU offered because they were not shown enough American films, which they love.
"There are certain aspects of the classes we took that frustrated us, and we kind of bonded because of that," Szczygielski said.
The ACE Film Festival is different from other well-known circuits, like Sundance or Tribeca, created by A-list celebrities Robert Redford and Robert DeNiro, respectively. ACE features a lot of up-and-coming filmmakers, who've directed a slew of different movies. Among them are shorts, feature-length films and animated films.
Hundreds of submissions were received for the festival, and the two alumni received a lot of help from corporate sponsors and nonprofit organizations.
"We're just completely different than other festivals," Szczygielski said. "We're the only film festival in America that plays purely American work."
A lot of genres are represented in the festival, as dramatic and comedic films were reviewed along with music videos.
Szczygielski, the ACE event director, has worked as a freelance Web designer, while O'Malley is a Web designer at the New York City center. He is also a co-owner of the small production company 108 Films and director of programming for ACE.
"One thing is that a lot of bigger festivals and people care about how many A-list stars you have in your movie," Szczygielski said. "They have lost sight what they're truly meant to do is to highlight independent art films."
The 2006 College of Visual and Performing Arts graduates channeled their collective interest in movies to create the American Cinematic Experience (ACE) Film Festival, a three-day event scheduled for Aug. 24-26 in New York City as part of the River to River Festival.
"We both went to VPA, and he (Tom) himself always liked film, even though I was doing animation," Szczygielski said. "We took some electives together, and that's how we met up, and we had some sort of passion."
Szczygielski and O'Malley were irritated with some of the school programs SU offered because they were not shown enough American films, which they love.
"There are certain aspects of the classes we took that frustrated us, and we kind of bonded because of that," Szczygielski said.
The ACE Film Festival is different from other well-known circuits, like Sundance or Tribeca, created by A-list celebrities Robert Redford and Robert DeNiro, respectively. ACE features a lot of up-and-coming filmmakers, who've directed a slew of different movies. Among them are shorts, feature-length films and animated films.
Hundreds of submissions were received for the festival, and the two alumni received a lot of help from corporate sponsors and nonprofit organizations.
"We're just completely different than other festivals," Szczygielski said. "We're the only film festival in America that plays purely American work."
A lot of genres are represented in the festival, as dramatic and comedic films were reviewed along with music videos.
Szczygielski, the ACE event director, has worked as a freelance Web designer, while O'Malley is a Web designer at the New York City center. He is also a co-owner of the small production company 108 Films and director of programming for ACE.
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