Film festivals allow filmmakers to show their work to a greater audience, allowing them to get more recognition. The Blackbird Film Festival is the one main event that SUNY Cortland Communication and Media Studies department hosts annually and is open for everyone both in the community and outside.
SUNY Cortland hosted their annual Blackbird Film festival this past weekend, April 11th-14th, and had great attendance. Students from the SUNY Cortland Communication and Media Studies department volunteered and participated in the event serving snacks, gear, beverages, helping out with the Photo Booth, and spreading word for the event. Two classmates of mine, presented the event to one of our COM class’ showing us the trailer, and had us take a survey to see what genre of film they’re showcasing that would be best for us to go watch and support.
The survey suggested that I go to the “Crime & Punishment” show on Friday Apr. 12, at 9:30 p.m. This genre consisted of 8 different films based on crime, punishment, or both. Each short film estimated time was around 2-15 minutes (with an estimated time of an hour total), with titles such as: “Smoke and Suds”, “RATS”, “Smoking in Public”, “Felon”, “Partum”, “A Macabre Surprise”, “Be bad”, and “A Death to Die For.”
My personal favorite would have to be “Felon” simply because the characters didn’t talk and you had to interpret what was happening. The story line went back and forth a few times, which made it confusing, yet helped the story. Two people meet, end up getting married, then the wife ends up being murdered. At first it seemed like the husband killed her, but it was really whoever he owed money to or been an enemy of. It appeared the husband lived a second life that his wife was not informed of and had to pay the consequences of, resulting in him taking his own life.
The films were peculiar but very interesting. The filmmakers explained the films that they directed afterwards, however I left so everything that I watched was up for interpretation regardless if the characters or actors spoke, in my opinion.
My least favorite film definitely had to be the last one, “A Death to Die For.” By the time this film started I was ready to be in my bed, so my attention span was out the window. It was a political 1950’s film that had a lot of jokes that consisted of dad jokes, political jokes, and racial jokes.
However, this festival is to bring communities of people from all over together and celebrate (expand) common interests, provide opportunities, and to interact with others.
I definitely recommend attending next year’s Blackbird Film Festival. As a Communication Studies major, it allowed me to explore and get out of my comfort zone. I also like to make up my own conspiracies of shows, movies, etc., so for some of them to be up for interpretation made me feel secure and seen. I’ll definitely be in attendance next year.