This summer, the Traverse City Film Festival will attract visitors from across the nation to enjoy cinematic art and more during the popular six-day event. “Our goal is for people to leave the theater with the feeling that they just watched something special,” said President and Founder Michael Moore on the official website.
As the main educational sponsor, faculty and students from Michigan State University have contributed to this international film festival in more ways than one.
The Woz
MSU has partnered with the Traverse City Film Festival to program its interactive showcase called “The Woz.”
Students and faculty in the Game Design and Development program at ComArtSci are curating and programming the multimedia gallery.
Several media projects – including games created in the Games for Entertainment and Learning (GEL) Lab – will be available at the “The Woz”. The public will be able to try out the recently released HTC Vive (a head-mounted virtual display) as well as games like “That Dragon, Cancer,” “Her Story” and more. “The Woz” will be located at Hotel Indigo in Traverse City.
Student-Produced Films
Many student-produced films created by individuals within ComArtSci and the College of Arts & Letters will be screened at the festival, including “From Flint: Voices of a Poisoned City,” which targets the devastating Flint Water Crisis and shares the stories of people who have faced tragedy and those who have advocated for change.
Also in the lineup is the documentary created by this year’s Media Sandbox Street Team called “#LendMIHand.” The film follows the students as they mentor Lansing youth with the charity “Pictures of Hope” and create a social media campaign to promote awareness. Additional student films are “Blacktop” and “Run, Jump, Paddle.”
MSU’s Media Arts Collaborative (MAC) with its Theatre 2 Film project will screen their feature film called “Sorta Late” at the Old Town Playhouse during the festival. This project is a collaborative effort between the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, College of Arts & Letters and College of Music. Students selected an original student play and adapted it for the screen. More than 100 students participated in creating it and acted as directors, editors and producers. “Sorta Late” is about a Detroit late-night talk show and a group of interns experiencing the chaos that can come with working in the entertainment industry.
Internship and Learning Opportunities
MSU students have also been utilizing their skills and enriching their Spartan experience through working as interns for TCFF.
They have been tasked with responsibilities that include event planning, graphic design and production.
ComArtSci faculty member and documentary filmmaker Geri Alumit Zeldes and composer Bill Withem will teach a special class open to the public about composing music for documentary films. They’ll walk the audience through the process and describe the emotions that go into creating music. Additionally, they will discuss how media can use music to underscore silence, ideas or action.
Working with SEEDS
SEEDS, a nonprofit organization funded in part by Michigan State University, will support future generations behind the scenes at the festival. The nonprofit organization gives low-income youth the opportunity to work with some of the best production people in the world, helping to set up screens and audio for the festival the week before.
Ready to head to Traverse City?
A special offer will be available for MSU students interested in attending the festival. Students will be allowed four free tickets if they present their student ID at Spartan Headquarters in Traverse City at 333 E. State Street.
Grab your free tickets and Spartan gear at the Traverse City Film Festival! Follow the hashtags #TCFF and #MSUTCFF on social media for the latest updates.
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