The lights dim, the crowd hushes, and then an image is projected on the big silver screen. Imagine the feeling one would get, knowing that this first image was the title screen for their film.
On October 20 and 21, senior filmmaker Cristina Gonzalez got a chance to see her creation being shown in front of a room full of people.
Austin Film Festival, which took place from Oct. 18 to Oct. 25, hosts a multitude of events such as script readings, conferences, and screenings of many different films. The International Screenwriters Association interviewed Gonzales after her film was shown.
“They asked me things like how I got into screen writing and what classes I am taking for film,” Gonzalez said. “They asked me if I planned on continuing screen writing.”
Most prospective filmmakers don’t get the chance to see their script or their work made into a presentation until they are much older, into the later years of experience and toil. After two semesters of writing ideas, creating a script, gathering a cast, then shooting a film, Gonzalez had her own film that she wrote and directed. It was chosen by AFF to screen.
“I never thought I would get to extend my abilities to film at such a young age. It opened my perspective,” Gonzalez said.
The films in the Story Telling Through Film class were made under the supervision of teacher Christine Forbus, who taught students content and had the help of Austin Film Festival.
The task of creating the film was a big task but Forbus felt like it was easier than it would be.
“It was a piece of cake and I was worried it would be stressful but it wasn’t,” Forbus said.
Making the film was defintely an experience for Forbus.
“It was awesome, it was a million times better than expectation I had before,” Forbus said.
Gonzalez’s short film, titled “Awkward Universe,” received positive acclaim from AFF, who deemed it one of the best from the program.
“There was great success and exposure for Cristina’s film, and for our other student film in last year’s class,” Forbus said. “The Festival said that our films were the two best films to come out from the program.”
