Naomi Scheinman Grant Story

Naomi Scheinman Grant Story

Establishing a Film Community at Tulane: Helping to Grow and

Continue the Annual Tulane Student Film Festival

With the support of the NTC grant, on April 19th, 2023, the second annual Tulane Student Film Festival was successfully held at the Freeman Auditorium in the Woldenberg Art Center. The festival provided a platform for Tulane students and recent alumni filmmakers to showcase their work to the New Orleans community. Twenty-one films out of 50 submissions were selected through Film Freeway and presented in two screenings, each followed by Q&A sessions with the filmmakers.

Furthermore, the festival featured a Filmmaker Expo, which enabled participants to interact with industry professionals, including Meryl Poster, the president and founder of Superb Entertainment, and Carroll Morton, the director of Film New Orleans. This addition to the festival offered a unique opportunity for New Orleans film industry experts to engage with the Tulane film community in an informal, filmmaker lounge environment. Participating filmmakers were eligible for both jury and audience awards, providing a real-world experience of film festival participation.The NTC grant allowed the Tulane Student Film Festival to properly acknowledge and celebrate the filmmakers who won these awards. With the support of the NTC grant we were able to allocate over $1400 to the award-winning filmmakers as well as provide beautiful trophies to commemorate their success.

The event was produced by students, including myself, in the SLAM 3914: Film Festivals course, led by Professor Pinder. Each student was assigned a specific committee from sponsorship and partnerships, marketing, graphic design and publicity, to curation, operations and programming. The students who run The Tulane Student Film Festival get real life experience in working as a team to run a high-profile event on campus. The class worked tirelessly to produce a sold-out event with more than 400 attendees.

The NTC grant meant a great deal to The Tulane Student Film Festival committee and I because it gave us the privilege to support filmmakers in showcasing the stories they have to tell and develop their careers for the future. Through the NTC grant, additional sponsors and partners, the Film Festival Committee, and the vibrant film community at Tulane and beyond, the 2nd annual Tulane Student Film Festival was a remarkable success.