192 academics Helping the film community of Harding University emerge out of the shadows had been a dream of junior Tyler Jones since he arrived at Harding in the spring of 2007. With the help of some friends and faculty, Jones made this dream a reality in the fall of 2008 when he organized the first Exit 45 Film Festival. The film festival, which was sponsored by the Campus Activities Board and the Honors College, provided students with a unique creative outlet. The event was held on Nov. 15, and hosted over 300 students, family members and faculty. Jones, a documentary filmmaker, who was also working on a project for the summer of 2009 in East Africa, said his idea started to materialize in the spring of 2008 when he got encouraging responses from professors in the Honors College. “The idea for a student film festival took shape while I was at [Harding University in Florence] last spring, and that’s where I received the positive feedback from Dr. Dennis Organ and Dr. Jeff Hopper,” Jones said. “The festival would not have been as successful without Dr. Hopper’s support for student film on campus.” Jones was also able to employ the help of three celebrity judges for the event. Judges included Patrick Cone, a documentary filmmaker in Dallas, founder of C1 Entertainment and 2004 graduate of Harding, Jill Tahbor, a screenwriter in Los Angeles, and Philip Martin, a film critic for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Senior Michael Brooker, a student filmmaker who entered a serious piece entitled “Life:: Lemonade,” won both “Best Film” and “Best Director.” The film was about how a baby-sitter’s idea to set up a lemonade stand brought a woman unexpected encouragement for fifty cents. Brooker explained that he usually created films of a more comic nature and that this was his first film doing something more serious. “I didn’t really go into this expecting to win anything,” Brooker said. “It was more of a personal challenge to try and craft a story. I’ve done movies before, but none of them have really been of a serious nature.” The top four winners of the festival went home with cash prizes provided by the Honors College, and they also took home an antique camera trophy. Brooker said he looked forward to participating in next year’s film festival. Dean of the Honors College Dr. Jeff Hopper was unable to attend the event; however, he was able to view the films and said he was extremely pleased with the success of Exit 45. “Filmmaking is a difficult and technical creative process, and it’s great that so many students were involved in that process,” Hopper said. Hopper also said an event such as Exit 45 provided a great educational opportunity for all those involved, offering students a hands-on venue to display their talents. “Tyler and those who worked with him have a jump start on their futures,” Hopper said. “This experience is in my opinion far better than a grade in a course, the course itself or a high test score.” Jones said he was not sure how much he would be involved in next year’s film festival. However he concluded that the success and participation in this year’s Exit 45 Film Festival would ensure that it continued in following years. “I would love to create a platform for collaboration in regards to film here because there isn’t a film program at Harding,” Jones said. “Obviously I love movies because they are entertaining, but I think that film can reach a point to where it can lead to social change.” Zach Welch, some information provided by The Bison Film Festival A student’s dream becomes reality
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