Those of us at Washington University who are more film-inclined spent this past week frantically writing, directing, producing and acting in five-minute films thanks to Campus Movie Fest. For those of us who aren’t in the movie loop, Campus Movie Fest is a week-long event which provides students with all the equipment required to create said film: microphones, cameras and even a laptop loaded with editing software. And on Sept. 26, these films premiered in Tisch Commons.

Making a film, even a short one, is a Herculean task. And for many people, the past week was consumed with writing, acting and producing films between going to (or not going to) classes. But all this work is not only done for the love of the craft; the top films of the festival move on to compete at the Terminus festival—the national festival held by Campus Movie Fest—and the creators of these winning films receive a one-year subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud.

Grace Bruton | Student Life

Hosts of the Campus Movie Fest re-introduce student films after taking a break from the screening to give out prizes.

So, for those more talented than me, this event promised great opportunity. And after this long week, the students who managed to submit their films had them judged by an anonymous panel of judges. The record-breaking 36 films were narrowed down to 16 to be shown at the premier.

I can say honestly that all of the shown films were very good and made me appreciate what participants in Campus Movie Fest do. The shown films showed incredible range. There were absurd comedies and serious, reflective pieces. “Human” explored self-confidence; “Just Me” visualized the everyday racism that black people face; and “Safe?” examined being gay and relationship violence. On the other end of the spectrum “Chef’s Special” was a comedy that reminded me of Wes Anderson’s style of storytelling; “Man Butt” showcased sophomoric humor in the best way possible; and “Bikes or Birds” saw a girl leaving her beloved bike for an electric scooter.

Grace Bruton | Student Life

A student is awarded a prize as one of the creators of “Man Butt,” one of the top four films at the Campus Movie Fest.

My personal favorite film, and one that was a favorite of the judges as well, was “Fish,” a story about struggling to prepare a meal and to decapitate a fish. “Fish” had no dialogue but communicated emotion through the look of fear and anticipation in the eyes of the main character, played by senior Akshay Thontakudi who won a silver tripod for best performance.

These films were all very human, if not absurdly so, stories. “Tech Dreams aka I’m an Adult” saw a lonely man use the internet to unsuccessfully find comfort, and “To All the Girls I Almost F****d” dealt with a woman trying to find physical companionship in a world where she is constantly foiled mid-attempt. The short films seem to alternate between many moments shoved into five minutes and one moment stretched out.

I’m sitting here still impressed by the short films that my peers have put together in the past week. Of the 16 movies shown, I couldn’t name a bad one amongst them. After sitting in the premier for the past hour and a half, I’ve made up my mind to try my hand at movie making, and although I’m not confident in my ability to make a movie of that quality, I’m excited at the prospect of trying.

All the Campus Movie Fest films can be streamed on the Campus Movie Fest website.