SPRINGFIELD, MO., April 7, 2022 – For the first time, Drury University’s Theatre Department will host, “Drury Lane Film Festival,” on Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Clara Thompson Hall. The festival will feature five student films, each to be shown both evenings. The film offerings will span a variety of genres and themes.
“The films vary greatly, we’ve got a silent film in the mix, we’ve also got a horror-comedy and a sci-fi film,” said theater instructor Justin Gannaway. “So, there’s going to be a lot of diversity in the topics explored and the genres that we have. It’s going to be interesting, and we’ve got something for everyone.”
Each film in the festival was written, produced and directed by Drury students and is a byproduct of skills and equipment acquired to adapt during the pandemic.
“In that time, we got access to a lot of cameras and broadcasting equipment so that we could share recordings of our productions with the public,” said Gannaway. “This year we were hoping to find a new and innovative way to use that equipment.”
The festival isn’t just the work of theater students, but rather a fusion of skillsets including three other departments: music department students helped write music, communication students operated cameras, lighting equipment and served as assistant directors and the animation department assisted in adding film credits and special effects. This is the first time many of the individual departments in the School of Communication, Fine & Performing Arts have collaborated on such an interdisciplinary project.
“The most exciting thing about this project is that the students got to step into several roles including directors, costume designers, sound engineers, production designers, assistant directors and composers. They really got to stretch their skills on projects that wouldn’t necessarily be available to them at other universities. It’s a really unique project and I’m excited to share the culmination of their work,” said Gannaway.
The five films premiering include:
Those who attend the festival will be met with a red-carpet photo opportunity and refreshment options. Tickets for the festival are $14 for adults, $7 for senior citizens, $7 for non-Drury students and $3 for children and members of the Drury community.
For more information, please contact Justin Gannaway at (417) 873-7326 or jgannaway@drury.edu.
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Media Contact: Jasmine Bailey, Director of University Communications and Media Relations – (417) 873-7390 or JBailey012@drury.edu.
