UCT students go pro at Shotties
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- Published on Tuesday, 08 May 2012 12:15
- Written by Candice Land
UCT students show off their talents at the Shotties Film competition this month.
Friday, 4th May, marked an event on the UCT calendar for one of the loudest and proudest societies at UCT. The Shotties Short Film competition was held at the Labia Theatre and showcased 16 top-class student films.
The red carpet was rolled out for the formal event and eager spectators arrived in their heels and bow ties. Brown paper bagged popcorn and slush puppies with a shot of vodka kept the palate content while the screen that presented the short films of 2,5 min kept the viewers transfixed and amused. Content varied from potential repercussions of choosing the wrong cereal to an unfortunate discovery underneath a ‘tree of love’.
Amongst the judges were Dr. Alexia Smit and Oliver Hermanus. Their comment that this year's Shotties produced one of the most talented array of short films yet, did not go without agreement from the crowd. The murmurs in the auditorium echoed that the quality was outstanding and that competition would be tough.
Award for best screenplay was won by My First Day as a Gaatjie that told the story of a boy from the suburbs who adopts the role of calling for “Wynberg” from a taxi. Best cinematography was awarded to Life Tide whose cinematic shots revealed a montage of human suffering and emotion. Best director was received by Megan Bense from Bottlecap Beats where the story of unity within a creative community was brought to life. The award for best editor was rightfully awarded to Jared Paisley from Pavement Special who pieced together a puzzle of shots to create a film that was further worthy of winning the title of Shotties 2012. In second place was My First Day as a Gaatjie followed by Cereal in third.
Megan Bense who won best director for Bottlecap Beats discusses how it was her first film ever made.
“I am so proud of my whole group for even taking part, the experience of making the film is so much better than any prize could reward us with”.
Dylan Bosman, writer and director of Pavement Special tells of the obstacles that his team faced in producing their film.
He describes it by saying, “Nothing has ever challenged me as much as this film ” but his huge smile whilst receiving the winning title reveals that his passion surpassed any trouble and the beautiful piece of cinematic art created by him and his team is worthy of being proud of.
Congratulations to the Shotties Committee of 2012 for an evening of top-class entertainment.