{"id":22938,"date":"2023-06-07T16:09:50","date_gmt":"2023-06-07T21:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/?p=22938"},"modified":"2023-12-04T13:41:54","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T19:41:54","slug":"film-studies-student-rubs-elbows-with-actors-and-directors-at-santa-barbara-film-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2023\/film-studies-student-rubs-elbows-with-actors-and-directors-at-santa-barbara-film-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Film Studies student rubs elbows with actors and directors at Santa Barbara Film Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF)<\/a> is one of the largest in the United States. For 35 years, the event has brought in more than 100,000 guests and screened 200+ films annually, hosted countless actors and directors for panels and talk-backs, and has also given select college students the chance to peer behind the theater curtain of one of the biggest events on the film festival circuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, Devon Boyer was one of those students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boyer is an architecture major with a minor in film studies. It might seem like an odd pairing, but it\u2019s perfect for Boyer, who would like to someday break into the world of film production design. He graduated this May, but not before traveling to Santa Barbara in February to attend the Festival\u2019s Film Studies program<\/a>. He was encouraged to apply for the program by 51ÁÔÆæ associate professor and director of the Film Studies program Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was a very cool experience, just for the fact that you could meet other people from around the country who had similar interests with you,\u201d Boyer said. \u201cIt was also just a good experience to travel and see other places with a different culture than ours. Santa Barbara is a very entertainment-based city, which is very different than Milwaukee.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The SBIFF Film Studies program aims to get young people involved in the film industry, especially students who may not have access to a film program at their university or who may have never attended a film festival in person. This year, the program took 30 students from across the country, including Boyer. For three days, the students were invited to all aspects of the festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got VIP access to everything,\u201d Boyer said. \u201cWe got special opportunities to talk with certain directors and have conversations about stuff that we liked and how to get into the industry. \u2026 There was access to any movie we wanted to see. There were a lot of talks from actors \u2013 we saw Jamie Lee Curtis, Cate Blanchett, and Angela Bassett.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The actor panels were especially interesting, Boyer said. He enjoyed discussions where the stars of films gave talks about their careers and acting styles. There were panels with film directors, including with Rian Johnson, who directed \u201cGlass Onion\u201d (2022), and panels with writers \u2013Boyer particularly enjoyed those, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His favorite film was a new drama called \u201cA Bit of Light\u201d that starred his favorite actress, Anna Paquin. The film was directed by Paquin\u2019s husband, Stephen Moyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was a standout film for me,\u201d Boyer said. \u201cIt was also the last one I saw on the last night, so it was special, and (Moyer) was there to talk about it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were also plenty of networking opportunities. Students not only were able to meet with Roger Durling, the executive director of the SBIFF, but also industry experts and seasoned professionals who gave the students advice about filmmaking and forging a career in the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boyer appreciated the opportunities, but he admits he\u2019s not ready to take on California. Instead, he\u2019s using his degree in a new job with a construction company that works on theme parks. He hopes to stay involved with filmmaking by exploring Milwaukee\u2019s independent filmmaking scene and working on amateur films with friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even so, the SBIFF Film Studies program was an amazing experience for Boyer, who describes himself and his brothers \u2013 the three are triplets \u2013 as movie buffs. They grew up watching movies together, and their film forays inspired Boyer\u2019s interest in the film studies minor. Attending the SBIFF was the culmination of a lifetime love of movies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was one more thing that made the experience special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe weekend we went was my birthday weekend,\u201d Boyer said. \u201cI was like, this is perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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