By Peter Smith

Just like Citizen Jane is a new voice in the film festival circuit, the short “Emerging Voices” film screening in Charter Auditorium at Stephens College gave directors new and seasoned an opportunity to show off their early works.

The nine short films shown were either the filmmakers’ creations from film school or her first actual film. Although the shorts were premiere endeavors, these works lacked the naiveté and clumsiness that an emerging filmmaker might possess. From love and loss to baking with mom, the shorts were focused and spoke to a precise facet of the human condition. Not every film’s plot was expertly polished but the technique was.

Above all, “Emerging Voices” showed off craftsmanship. These filmmakers not only have a strong voice, but also a keen sense of how to apply that voice to create a nuanced film.

One of the screening’s highlights was Regina Robbins’s Queen of Beasts, a film about a young girl’s self discovery via a zebra onesie. From a stuffy parochial school to New York City’s underbelly, one high school nerd finds freedom through fashion. Robbin’s made the film during her stint in Columbia University’s film program. It was poignant and fun whilst grazing serious subject matter.

At the talk-back following the screening, each director discussed future projects, as well as the importance of film festivals. “It is incredibly important to come to fests and see fresh work that is not your own,” Robbins says. The shorts in the screening gave her inspiration for new work, as well as gave new meanings to her own piece.

These women’s passion and drive are encouraging for the future of film and the future of the festival itself.

The nine shorts screened in this compilation were Still by Felicia Heykoop, Touch by Amanda McEwan, Lost and Found by Jennifer Tolle, Baking with Mother by Vicky Mather, Sk8 Like a Grrrl by Megan Hague, In Perpetuum by Mary Ahlman, Darwin: A Life in Poems by Jennifer Razor, Last Minute by Linda Audyová and Queen of Beasts by Regina Robbins.

Vox Rating: VVV = MAKE THE MATINEE