On May 10 the School of Theatre, Film & Television will host I Dream in Widescreen, the annual showcase of senior thesis films made by emerging filmmakers graduating from the School’s nationally ranked Film & Television program. The 20th edition of the event will take place at its traditional home, the Fox Tucson Theatre, on Saturday, May 10, at 7pm.
Senior filmmakers Cosmo Brusa Zappellini, Philip D. Summers, and Daniel Cadena sat down with Mark McLemore, host of AZPM’s Arizona Spotlight, to talk about their upcoming senior thesis films and the segment was followed by positive reviews of films from filmmakers Neylani Castro, Jordan Fouts, and Xander Maniece by film critic Chris Dashiell.
Some highlights from Dashiell’s reviews include:
On Neylani Castro’s Parallel Lines:
- “Neylani Castro … has mastered a smoothly flowing camera with expert use of space in this simple but beguiling slice of life.”
- “There are only a few words spoken in this film. The movement of these two characters is the real language. Parallel Lines looks great – beautifully shot by the director. We can’t help but think that they’re going to meet one another eventually, but do they?”
On Jordan Fouts’ Play Pretend:
- “Play Pretend is a charming comedy by Jordan Fouts about women and girls and the trappings of conventional femininity. … the film’s greatest strength is its lead performer Haiden Pederson, who makes the contrast between the sweet princess she’s playing and the real woman she is. Believable and funny, her boss gives her another chance, and the story takes a thoughtful and satisfying turn.”
On Xander Maniece’s The World We Live In:
- “In The World We Live In, by Xander Maniece, the costumes and the production design are inventive … [and] the desert expanse at King’s Anvil Ranch is the perfect location for this alien planet, where Maniece highlights the blues and greens to make it seem even stranger. The World We Live In, however – as the title tells us – is really commenting on the harsh realities for people living here on planet earth.”
These films, along with those of their peers, will premiere at I Dream in Widescreen on May 10 at the Fox Tucson Theatre at 7pm, tickets are $5 general admission. More information is available at idiw.tftv.arizona.edu.
