10-10-10 Student Competition

Created by Kris Mendes at the 27th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The 10-10-10 Film Student Competition was the perfect way to signal the closing of yet another successful festival.  Ten different teams, producing ten different films competing for the honor of winning on the categories of best screenplay as well as for the best filmmaking creativity.  Lobero theater at 1:0op.m. on a Sunday was the perfect post-lunch treat: comfortable seats, a lively crowd full of family, friends and educators eager to cheer for their students’ films.  Crowd control was formidable and the volunteers, as always, continued to add great value to the movie going experience at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

In all honesty, I was expecting the afternoon to be a two hour session of sloppy, untrained, left over screenings to supplement empty space at the Festival….  Oh boy! was I wrong – and what a delightful treat this was.  All films were very well thought out, planned, edited and presented, and all were also very well sponsored – it was hilarious to see the product placement in some of their films (props to all the sponsors for being good sports about their brands and brand exposure in support of student filmmaking).

It is my humble opinion that all of the films were winners that afternoon, and they were all delightful to sit through.  I will have to point out that two of my favorites dealt with a young boy playing a pirate, and another one of a guy on a beachfront date with a psycho-lover lady with an affinity for domination in her own kind of way…

I think the good sense of humor of all the filmmakers was the recurring adhesive theme that made this competition a successful presentation.