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SUNY Fredonia Class of 1990 alumni Todd Giglio (left) and Christopher Springer helped kick-off the first SUNYWide Film Fest with a showing of their film, “Drawing with Chalk,” on the festival’s opening night, followed by a discussion with the audience.

The first time on the silver screen for the SUNYWide Film Festival at SUNY Fredonia was no dry run; it was a resounding success.

“We had a great turnout of 275 guests over the weekend,” reported Phil Hastings, faculty advisor of the Media Arts Club which sponsored the April 2-4 festival that attracted entries from across the SUNY system.

Scores of students, including a sizeable delegation from Oswego, stayed for the entire festival, rented hotel rooms and supported the Dunkirk/Fredonia economy during their visit.

Organizers didn’t know what sort of reception the festival’s inaugural year would generate, but they were overjoyed by the response. “We were not sure what to expect, so we tried to keep our expectations a little bit low. We had 80 entries, which was fantastic,” Hastings said.

“Gates, Doors,” by Christopher Caporlingua of the University of Buffalo received the Mary Louise White Grand Prize, named in honor of the SUNY Fredonia alum. His short, experimental film used the space of an elevator, with the doorway serving as the frame and actual doors as the shutter. SUNY Purchase student Hannah Bailey won first place with “Julie,” the story of a media communications student who, while struggling to make a documentary about her own life, discovers what actually makes her interesting.

Two SUNY Fredonia students, Heather Personett and Shinji Matsuyama, won second and third place awards for their respective films. In “Starfish,” Personett tells the story of a man who meets a woman who is attempting to save a starfish stranded along a beach. He says her efforts are futile; she assures him that they are not. Matsuyama’s “Back Beat” depicts how a back beat has never sounded so painful.

Earning Honorable Mention was “L’Origine,” which presents the origins of a fish’s death and the relationship with its owner, by Elizabeth Crouch and Christa Haley, of SUNY Oswego.

The Audience Choice Award went to SUNY Oswego’s Jamie Loughlin for “Rolling Stoned,” the story of three friends whose joyride comes to an abrupt halt when they are pulled over and arrested by a town police officer.

Two Class of 1990 Fredonia alums, Todd Giglio and Christopher Springer, showed their film, “Drawing with Chalk” on the festival’s opening night.

Gift cards from B&H Photo, ranging in value from $25 to $200, were given to the award recipients.

“The students who participated here had a wonderful experience and learned a lot,” Hastings added. “They were committed to the festival and did a wonderful job.”

Support for the festival was given by the College of Arts and Humanities, English Department, Visual Arts and New Media Department and Division of Academic Affairs.

In addition to evaluating student entries, juror Kevin Everson was impressed by films created by SUNY Fredonia students who organized the festival so they were not able to enter their own works. “He felt students here were doing a fantastic job, and he wanted to show his own students what our students were doing here,” Hastings said.

The inaugural festival’s success reveals the need for such an outlet for student-produced films.

“It was a great first year,” Hastings concluded. “The word we got from all the students that came was they can’t wait until next year. They were going to tell their fellow students how great the festival was.”