Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Documentaries, short films, narratives and more will be celebrated at the international Visions Film Festival & Conference on Friday, March 31, hosted by the UNCW Film Studies Department. An annual event since 2006, Visions offers an all-day experience for undergraduate filmmakers and scholars by hosting interactive workshops, visionary screenings, industry speakers’ panels and scholarly presentations.

Shannon Silva, an associate professor and Visions director, emphasizes the importance of the student-run event.

“Visions is actually a year-long, film studies applied learning course in which students learn about film event management and programming,” she said. “It’s an intensive, ‘flipped’ classroom experience. Celebrating undergraduate professional development and achievements is at the core of Visions’ mission.”

In addition to being the only undergraduate peer-reviewed film festival and conference, Visions gives out nearly $15,000 in prizes, including travel grants. The goal of the festival is to unite a diverse community of undergraduate students through scholarly analysis, discussion panels and cutting-edge screenings.

“Each spring, the course concludes with a 36-hour event,” Silva said. “More than 350 attendees gather to celebrate film, inspire one another’s work, and share and debate ideas to provide a welcoming community foundation to support students’ future careers.”

To participate, attendees must register online and purchase an event badge, on sale now through the day of the event. Prices can be found on the event’s website, and badges and tickets can be bought at Sharky’s Game Room, located in UNCW’s Fisher Student Center.

--Emily S. Pierce

#CAS