For student Fellinis, it's time to shine

For months, a huge billboard on the way to Norfolk International Airport has heralded the fact that Regent University's film division of the School of Communications and the Arts has won more than 100 awards. Some motorists were undoubtedly puzzled. A film production center of this magnitude in Hampton Roads?

They need be puzzled no longer.

The annual showcase of films made by students at Regent, unreeling Wednesday at the Naro Expanded Cinema in Norfolk, proves yet again that the cameras are rolling and the students are imagining. (The screening will be repeated at 2 p.m. Sunday at the university.)

With signs of more maturity than in most past festivals, 10 films will be shown in the single evening, ranging in length from two to 18 minutes. (The entire program runs just an hour and a half.)

The subjects include war, peace, communication and, most of all, human nature. Nestled somewhere among the little dramatic and comedic vignettes are statements against violence and against war, but none of these works are preachy. They have the brashness as well as the freshness of youth stamped all over them.

Now in its 23rd year, the festival has always displayed a strong showing on the technical side of things - cinematography, lighting and sound. The writing and acting have not been as accomplished. This has changed, to some degree, this year with works such as "Stills," in which two friends contemplate the death of a third.

Students form their own budgets, book their casts and crews, scout their locations and carry out their shooting schedules. You'll see scenes shot in Portsmouth and on the Yorktown battlefield.

Here's a look at the offerings of this year's Regent University Film Festival:

"SUMMER GRASSES" A visual tone poem that pays tribute to the quiet way nature prevails over the anguish of war, with the on-screen reminder that all that remains of great soldiers' imperial dreams is nature. Scarlett couldn't have made a more passionate plea for Tara and the fact that land is the only thing that lasts. It's directed by Jeff Dull.

"STILLS" A mini-drama in less than five minutes. Stephen, a student, has died of a drug overdose. A caring student, played with authority by Kaja Dunn, challenges a former girlfriend with being a social snob in driving him to death. "You judged him for being different and made him feel so wrong about himself that it came to this." The concerned but perhaps shallow Allison has "sorority-girl snob" written all over her, even though she isn't aware of it. She is played by a charismatic Ashley Larson. This is the festival's best drama. It was written and directed by Jeff Dull.

"7-MINUTE LULL" This presents the intriguing theory that all conversations begin to lose focus after seven minutes. Three couples, plus one visitor, try out the premise. The guys choose "superheroes" as their topic. The gals, secretly, are spying on them via video equipment, commenting, "You've seen the depth of the male thought process. They don't go any deeper." Kera O'Bryan, a local theater standout, is the female leader of the conversation. The cast includes Keith Gregory, Preston Janis, Priscilla Hummel, Kahle McCann and Kelly Whitesel. It's directed by Jason Richards and produced by Michael Hunter and Joshua Mims. This film is on to something, but it isn't quite developed.

"ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS" Shot in northern Scotland and Barcelona, Spain, this film contains the best photography of the festival. It is somewhat repetitious, though, in its quest for a connection between spirituality and artistic creation. A writer is the center of things in a castle in Scotland. ("Writing is about openness.") A young cellist is the subject in Spain - appealing but with nothing earth-shattering to say. She plays Bach lying on her back, watching the swallows fly into the sky. Directed by Patrick Pelham, the ambitious travelogue has won several awards.

"CANNED" A little gem about a man who makes up exaggerated stories to explain why he was fired. One version is that he saved the building from attacking terrorists but was fired out of fear that the terrorists would return for revenge. Animation is used to suggest the fantasy. Directed by Joseph Rohrs and produced by Sarah Purnell.

"LOST AND FOUND" Silent and in black-and-white, this little drama is a bit obvious. The guy and the girl are meant to look lonely because they are alone. Too simple. Their meeting over lost glasses is too cute, but appropriate. Simplicity is both its blessing and its curse. Directed by Aaron Garrett III.

"THE WARMTH AND THE LETTER" Contemplative in the extreme, this film asks the audience to supply the drama. A letter reveals the death of a friend. We see the anguish, but it is unspoken. The man swings in isolation in a back yard. The camera can do only so much to tell us what is not said. There is a wonderful moment, though, in which he pulls back when offered a hand to hold. The denial and rejection of that moment are telling. Directed by Steven Leath.

"ORDER" A bit of "theater of the absurd." The setting is Skipper Burger, a drive-in joint. There are many sightings: A man who may be planning a robbery. People on bicycles. A manic family out of control. Things finally settle down to a couple at odds. They decide to have a baby. Having no money, Gideon, the guy, has to fight the manager to settle the bill. Michael Woods is effective as Gideon. This is an idea that is too big for its film. Written by Caleb Stewart, it is directed by Dan Cava and produced by Kelechi Benet.

"THE PAINTED GUN" A disturbing parable in which a likable boy picks up a gun from his mother's boyfriend and, unexpectedly, is tempted to use it when he sees a man beating a woman. Justin Garcia plays the boy. Directed by Steve Leath and produced by Charles Eichmann. Shooting locations were Portsmouth and Pungo.

"WASHED BY THE WATER" A music video for the Atlantic Records group NeedToBreathe and proof that elaborate graphics are not necessary for this type of thing. The sound is its main asset. Directed by Tony Cece.

Mal Vincent, (757) 446-2347, mal.vincent@pilotonline.com