Although BYU-Idaho doesn’t have a film program, technology has brought the ability to create movies to the masses, or at least to the average BYU-I student.

This campus has students with aspirations to be actors, directors, cameramen, editors and score writers for films.

One such student is Scott Winn, a freshman from Olympia, Wash., who won last semester’s film festival and who plans to attend Chapman University and study to be a director of cinematography.

BYU-I students who enjoy making their own films are invited by Talent Exploration to enter the BYU-I Film Festival. The festival is scheduled for April 22 at 8 p.m. in the Kirkham Auditorium.

“Submit a film even if you are just in it for fun or you want filmmaking as a future career,” said Jordan Sackley, a sophomore from Eagle River, Ala., student coordinator for the festival.

Sackley encourages students to come to the Film Festival information meeting April 6 at 7 p.m. in Spori 35, where the Film Makers Association meets every Thursday at 7 p.m.

The films that will be shown at the Film Festival are to be submitted by 5 p.m. April 14 to the Activities office, MC Room 163D.

Films submitted can be of any genre, with no stipulation as to when they were made. The content should be Honor Code appropriate and should be no longer than 15 minutes. Submissions should be in DVD format.

Improvements to the Film Festival include a preview of the movies submitted to play before the show, as well as awards to be given out at the end of the festival for best actor, best special effects and best movie.

“The film festivals are getting much more organized,” said Benjamin Witcomb, a freshman from St. Helen’s, Ore., and student director of the Film Makers Association.  

Tim Flint, a sophomore from Columbus, Ind. and student director over Talent Exploration, has high hopes for this semester’s Film Festival.

“This Film Festival will have tons of better films in it than we have had before,” Flint said.

Flint also hopes to expand the role of filmmaking at BYU-I by possibly having student-taught film workshops.

Sackley foresees the interest in film festivals growing as a result of the high attendance at the last 24-Hour Film Festival on Feb. 14.

“We could rival Guitars Unplugged,” Sackley said.

The Film Festival is open to all students and admission will be free.