Last week the Film and Television Production program filled the E-Concourse with marketing booths for the upcoming student films that are premiering on April 19th at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema.
The private screening at the Bathurst and Bloor Streets cinema will have a classic Hollywood theme, with attendees including Humber students, faculty, and industry guests.
There are eight films being premiered including, Scoops, Lost in Thought, Love After Life, Get In My Gut, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys, This Is What It Feels Like, A lot Goin’ On At 34 Maple Drive and B&E.
The eight films vary in genres. Two formatted as television pilots, two others are dark comedies, and the other four are dramas. The Humber film and television production students also provided seven public service announcements which highlight charitably and worthy causes they partnered with for the festival.
The crew for each project consists of only Humber FMTV students, aside from the actors, which they get to select through a real life casting process.
“In third year we go through the proper casting protocols that are followed in the industry,” said Denzel Noylander, director of Scoops, “We have ACTRA actors, which is cool, it was a collaboration between the real world and the student world,” he said.
During their time in the program, students learned filmmaking from the ground up, which means they are entering the industry with a base understanding of all the elements in the filmmaking process, from conception to distribution.
“Basically, we’ve all done like multiple jobs on all the projects, from directing, to writing to casting, to managing and coordinating and it’s been lots of fun,” said Gordon Yarley, the marketing manager for Love After Life.
“It’s been a very informative and enjoyable experience chaotic for sure, but if we survived the pandemic we can survive film production,” he said.
The 71 students that make up the crews are all part of the class of 2023, who started the program during the pandemic, where they endured challenging conditions in their learning.
“These students began their journey in film during the height of COVID-19 which included a lot of distance learning and very rigid safe set protocols” said Professor Robb Wright.
“They all had to undergo training, and as a faculty we are very proud of how they have preserved,” he said.
This premiere is only the start for many of the projects, like Get In My Gut.
“We’re also submitting it to festivals,” said Paige Elliott, marketing manager for Get In My Gut.
“We’re presenting it to eight festivals, hoping to come out strong in all eight of them,” she said.