SOMAS to host Handheld Film Festival at Regal Cinema

UT students' top videos and films will be showcased during the Handheld Film Festival with winners being chosen by the voting audience. The event, hosted by the Society of Media Art Students, begins at 7p.m., Saturday, April 26, at the Downtown West Regal Cinema.

More than 30 short videos and films produced by UT School of Art students will be shown during the two-hour program. During the show, audiences will be asked to fill out an evaluation sheet to vote for their favorites. Winners of the awards in categories that include best film, best video, and best cutting edge will be announced at the end of the festival.

The Handheld Film Festival has more than 10 years of history. It is held at the end of every spring and fall semester to feature students' top pieces. Dr. Norman Magden, professor of media art at UT, said it's an awarding evperience for both students and the audience.

"The showing of these works provides an opportunity for students to present their works to the public...and hopefully demonstrates to the general viewer the alternative possibilities of new visions in the creation of films and videos as fine art forms," Magden said.

This year's film festival is held by SOMAS, a society established in February to organize and promote media art events. Harrison Pang, a media art graduate student, and the chair of the SOMAS said she encourages everyone to come.

"We are quite excited about this event," Pang said. "We have more pieces to be shown and more award categories than last year. Audiences will get a chance to see a variety of films, which may be quite different from what they have seen in theaters and they can vote for their favorites."

Admission to the film festival is free. "Everyone is welcomed, but you'd better come early, because the theater usually fills quickly," Pang said.