UPIKE to host fifth annual Film & Media Arts Festival

University of Pikeville is proud to host its fifth annual Film & Media Arts Festival on campus Thursday, April 4 through Saturday, April 6 and on Monday, April 8. Produced by students in the university’s film festival class, the festival will screen more than 50 films. Additionally, table readings of multiple scripts submitted from across the country will be conducted. Admission is free.

Film screenings April 4-6 will take place in Booth Auditorium (Record Memorial Building).

The festival will begin at 9:30 a.m. on April 4; films will be shown throughout the day. The first day of the festival will include screenings of films by high school students as well as UPIKE faculty and students. Panels on filmmaking and digital art led by UPIKE faculty and alumni are also scheduled on April 4.

On April 5, the event will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the screening of two documentaries, one of which is on the history of the Charleston Ballet. A feature length documentary, Fiddlin,’ will be screened at 1 p.m. The film celebrates the rich heritage of mountain music. At 3 p.m., feature-length film Summer of ‘67, whichexplores the lives of two sisters struggling to protect their loved ones in the face of the Vietnam War, will be shown.  For fans of shows like “Twilight Zone” and “The Outer Limits,” a block of short paranormal films will be screened at 6 p.m. At 7 p.m., a documentary about a real-life haunted house, The Darkness on Church Street, will be screened. The filmmaker and subject will be available to answer questions about the film and their experiences as well as sign copies of a book about the haunting of the house. 

Festivities on April 6 will begin at 10 a.m. with the feature film, The Mountain Minor. The film tells the story of a young boy who struggles with leaving his present life and family in Cincinnati to return to his Kentucky mountain home and musical heritage that once defined him. At 12:30 p.m., a block of international short films will be screened. A series of short regional documentaries will be shown at 1:45 p.m. The day will culminate with a block of animated short films at 3 p.m. followed by a block of narrative short films at 4 p.m.

On April 6, festival goers will have several opportunities to participate in table readings and interact with scriptwriters. Table readings begin at 3:45 p.m. in Record Memorial Building, room 312. The feature-length script Lexington Blue will be read, with two short film script readings to follow at 5:30 p.m. An invitation-only awards banquet for filmmakers will take place at 6:30 p.m. in Booth Auditorium.

On April 8 at 7 p.m., the festival will end with a screening of the award-winning documentary film hillbilly in Chrisman Auditorium. The film is a timely and urgent exploration of how the U.S. perceives Appalachian people, offering a call for dialogue during this divisive time in American history. The film’s co-directors have strong ties to the Appalachian region and believe the film offers a rich and varied point of view on a historically misunderstood region. Co-director Ashley York will be in attendance for a Q&A session after the film’s screening.

For more information about the festival and a complete screening schedule, visit: fmafest.org; visit Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using the handle @fmafest; email fmafest@upike.edu; or call Andrew Reed, associate professor of film and media arts, at 606-218-5972.

-UPIKE-