Hancock Student Film Wins Award at SLOIFF

"After Dusk" named best narrative short film.

MARCH 13, 2014 -- The spotlight continues to shine on After Dusk, a short film written, directed and produced by Allan Hancock College students.  Judges selected the 12-minute movie as the best narrative short film during the 2014 San Luis Obispo International Film Festival (SLOIFF).  The film was one of 16 shorts screened at the Central Coast Filmmaker Showcase during the festival’s closing night last Sunday.

Seven student directors and editors worked together last fall to complete After Dusk during an intermediate filmmaking class at Hancock taught by Robin Smith.  The film is about Dracula, who yearns to become a professional photographer after finding a camera in his attic.  But he must overcome his aversion to the light in order to take photos.

Smith was thrilled to see her students’ hard work pay off.  “Filmmaking is extremely difficult.  By the end of the process, students can be very hard on their work,” said Smith.  “It’s really wonderful and inspirational for these students to have their film selected to screen and then to see an audience enjoying their work.  That is a real blast.”

A documentary made by the same group of Hancock students called The Hardest Job was also screened at the festival.  The Hardest Job and After Dusk were the first films produced by Hancock students shown at the festival since the SLOIFF started in 1993.

“I hope this sends the message that Hancock is a great place for film makers to start learning their craft,” said Smith.  “Hancock’s film program is unique because students learn film theory, film production and how to tell a story effectively.  We emphasize that films and screenplays require heart, not just facts.”

- AHC -

Captions:
Above left: Allan Hancock College film student John Cullinan portrayed Dracula in the student film After Dusk.  The 12-minute film received the Best Narrative award during the 2014 San Luis Obispo International Film Festival.

Above right: (Left to Right): John Cullinan, Noelle King, Kelsey Bystrom, Trevor Nelson and Justen Cristensen were part of the seven-person crew behind After Dark.  Their film was one of 16 selected from San Luis Obispo, Monterey and Santa Barbara Counties to screen during the Central Coast Filmmaker Showcase at the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival.