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School of Communication & the Arts Film Awards Reach New Record

We’re gonna need a bigger trophy case.

December 2015 marked an impressive milestone for Regent University’s School of Communication & the Arts (SCA) film students. Throughout Fall Semester 2016, student films received 17 awards, bumping the list of total awards for student films to 401.

“I am so proud that our students have achieved this amazing milestone. National and international film festivals provide venues for professional reviewers to judge our students’ work. It’s remarkable that our students have won so many awards,” said Dr. Mitch Land, dean of the School of Communication & the Arts.

He attributes the success to the awards to his students’ willingness to “do great art” with a redemptive message – of films such as Pickpocket (Joseph Armstrong ’15), the Dream Machine (Chelsea Motherwell ’14), and the Seven Stages (Richard Sanborn ’15) – addressing human conflict, drama and comedy.

“Sure they like making Christian films,” said Land. “But they also thrive in making art that finds solutions to life’s greatest issues…It’s work that reflects truth.”

Throughout the years, Regent students have submitted their films into competitions such as the Best Shorts Competition (California), Cindy Award Competition (Texas), The IndieFest Film Awards (California), and the Christian Life International Film Festival (Ontario, Canada).

Land explained that these awards not only validate the artistic worth of the student films, but also the quality of instruction the students receive.

“And in addition to being highly qualified academically, our film faculty are successful professionals in the field as well,” said Land.

Entering the field with three awards in various competitions for his film, A Pointless Pencil, Beecher Reuning ’15 (SCA) said that it was his Regent education that helped him get a leg up in the field.

“Regent fosters an atmosphere of creativity, but most of the students have very little experience coming in,” explained Reuning. “So I really relied on bringing in professionals to play key roles to take my films to the next level.”

A Pointless Pencil won the Award of Recognition in The IndieFest Film Awards; the Award of Merit in the Accolade Global Film Competition; and the Student Platinum Best of Show in the Aurora Awards. Reuning attributes his storytelling success to the training he received at Regent from several of his professors, like working with actors, reaching out to agents and screenplay structure.

“Being recognized at festivals helps me get a fresh perspective on how the world sees my work,” said Reuning. “It’s an honor to be recognized at festivals, because it means I’m making art that the worlds sees as fresh and will listen to.”

Learn more about Regent University’s School of Communication & the Arts.