CHAMPAIGN, ILL (WAND) : In preparation for the inaugural festival by the CU International Film Festival ("CUIFF"), the organization hosted a community workshop for middle and high school students interested in learning more about filmmaking.

At the workshop, experienced filmmakers and professors from Media & Cinema Studies at UIUC led hands-on activities. CUIFF partnered with Don Moyers Boys & Girls Club, Champaign and Urbana Libraries, and the Stephens YMCA for this student opportunity. Film Fest Founder and high school junior Max Libman, a says the workshop is a helpful tool to help people get interested in film. "We know that filmmaking is a powerful storytelling tool and we want to equip the next generation of filmmakers with the skills necessary to tell the stories that are important to them, important to their communities."

CU International Film Festival is hosting its inaugural festival on October 29, 2022 at the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, providing a platform for the next generation of filmmakers to share exceptional cinematic experiences. The festival wants to foster a broad community showcasing films that entertain, educate, and elevate. It will offer a collection of diverse films from around the world, bringing together filmmakers and film lovers alike for the screening. The festival includes a Hollywood red-carpet gala, a showcasing of short films from around the globe, and award presentations. General admission tickets are free.

 

The festival will showcase short films submitted by high school and university students, and indie filmmakers. Short-films were submitted from coast to coast, and around the globe. Judges and jurors rated these films, and top-ranked films were selected. Jurors include national film critic and Chicago Sun Times columnist Richard Roeper, writer and director Ty Stickler of Creative Artists Agency in LA, and Festival Director Crickett Rumley at New York Film Academy. 

One of the winning directors will be returning to Champaign for the festival: 24-year old Julien Turner, an alum of Unit 4 elementary and middle schools. After attending Morehouse College and USC Film School, Mr. Turner and his younger brother Justen founded the production company Dreadhead Films. They have produced works for Sesame Street, Amazon, Adidas, Beats by Dre, Air Jordan, Nike, and have produced nationally award-winning short films.  

Information about the festival and tickets are available on CUIFF’s website at www.cuiff.org. For more information, Libman can be reached at info@cuiff.com.Â