Spring Break
Texas A&M filmmakers compete for $100,000
By: Meagan O'Toole-Pitts
Issue date: 9/9/09 Section: News
|
That's the recipe for the Doorpost Film Project finalist film "Guest Room," which is competing against nine other films until Sept. 16, for $100,000.
The Doorpost Film Project is an online film festival "to encourage truth-seeking visionaries by honoring their creativity as filmmakers," that is in its second year with viewers from more than 180 countries.
From the plains of the Texas panhandle to the greenery of the Colorado Rock Mountains, "Guest Room," a One Spark Films production, takes audiences on a journey, inspiring hope like only Aggies can, said writer, director and co-producer Greg Kwedar, Class of 2008.
Austin-based One Spark Films was created less than a year ago by Kwedar and director of photography and editor Jake Hamilton, Class of 2008.
Out of the 400 filmmakers that submitted to the Doorpost Film Project, 100 were chosen in the first round and told to create a seven-minute film on one of five values: forgiveness, freedom, humility, joy and redemption. One Spark Films traveled to Guatemala City to create "La Pluma."
"We were in Guatemala filming a documentary last February and we used our day off to shoot a film about two young brothers living in the slums of Guatemala City who are challenged by their grandfather to find the most beautiful feather in all of Guatemala," Kwedar said. "As they chase each other through the city in search of the feather they learn that their childlike imagination is what sets them free, that they are not anchored by poverty."
The film landed them a top 10 finalist spot in the competition and $30,000 to create a 20-minute film about hope. One Spark Films shot "Guest Room," the story about a grown man who finds a young man beaten and passed out at a remote highway rest stop, and the journey they embark on together.
"At its core is a character-driven story that explores two men who are running from something, and when they meet under extraordinary circumstances, a series of events are set into motion that forces them to come to terms with their past," Kwedar said. "One of my favorite facets of its message is in the power of friendship... in friendship that can endure long after you part ways."
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com