On the last weekend of July 2013 Irina Zhygalliukand her crew huddled in a barn with no heat — filming for 14 hours a day — on one of the coldest weeks of the year in which temperatures regularly dropped below zero.
Her film, Mother, is a story about a widow who hides away in a barn to avoid the violence that surrounds her during World War II. Her inspiration came from the true account of a holocaust survivor, which she based the film on.
“We had every kind of trouble you could imagine, but I would have given up anything to make this film,” Zhygalliuk said.
On Saturday the fruits of her labor will come to The Athena Cinema, 20 S. Court St., where they are screening nine short films made by second year Film Division students. The showings begin at 7 p.m. and run until 10 p.m, and admission is free for this one night only event.
The films — written, edited and directed by the students — are ten to fifteen minutes long and showcase a wide range of genres from drama to comedy and everything in between.
Students spend an entire year working on the films. Throughout the years, the screenings have been an excellent place to display the diverse skillset of students. The process is a team effort, with the directors receiving help from other film students as well as theater majors who act in the films.
“Film making is absolutely a collaborative medium,” said Steven Ross, director of the Film Division.
Though the scenery and diversity of potential actors is somewhat limited, anything is doable. The films consist of people of different age groups and nationalities. In the past, some international students have actually shot their films in their home countries, including India and China.
The school provides all of the equipment for the students. What direction they choose to go from there is up to them. To the school, the important thing is that the students have everything they require to make a memorable short film.
Even in tough economic times, Ross and some of the students agree that the school has done well with keeping up with technology.
The process is not always easy, but there are those in Athens who go out of their way to help the students. Members of the faculty did everything from opening their homes to out-of-town actors to providing transportation. Zhygalliuk’s film and many others could not have come together without help from the community. The filmmakers are very passionate about their work and look forward to sharing them with an audience.
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