SPONSOR
U-M Department of Film, Television, and Media
EDUCATION PARTNER
U-M Lloyd Hall Scholars Program
COMMUNITY PARTNER
EMU Campus Life
Organized by Vera Brunner-Sung
These films shine a light on an unsung but vital—and ongoing—legacy of the festival: its interns. Formally initiated by Vicki Honeyman for the 29th festival in 1991, the internship program has provided hands-on experience in a broad range of festival operations for over two hundred students. A number have pursued careers in film, with a handful returning over the years to screen their work. We reached out to six to learn how their journeys have been influenced by their time with us.
Timecode Break
C. Jacqueline Wood
2012 | 3
A broken media reflects broken memories.
Buffalo Juggalos
Scott Cummings
produced by Shrihari Sathe
2014 | 30
An experimental exploration and celebration of the Juggalo subculture in Buffalo, New York. Long and static takes of Juggalos engaged in their favorite activities, first and foremost of which is causing mayhem. Among these seemingly random acts of the everyday, preening, sexual gratification, backyard wrestling, explosions, and destruction, a tentative narrative begins to emerge. AAFF 53 official selection.
This One Weird Trick
Joanie Wind
2020 | 6
A woman slogs through an identity mired with gender stereotypes and consumer capitalism to attempt to discover her true self. What is “natural” or “original” becomes inaccessible, forgotten, and nonexistent. 58 AAFF official selection.
Visit 57
Kate Phelan
2016 | 10
Kat’s been trying to get pregnant for three years and her fertility treatments don’t seem to be working. But today will be different. She’s sure.
What if Deadpool was Black? (Chunky Monkey and Oscars so White)
Sultan Sharrief
2016 | 8
This short film, done as a spoof of the ’80s and ’90s afterschool special, explains the deeper reasons behind the lack of diversity that led to the 2016 #OscarsSoWhite campaign. The nuanced breakdown is simplified through a peculiar connection between Deadpool and Chunky Monkey ice cream.
Character
Vera Brunner-Sung
2020 | 17
Actor Mark Metcalf made his reputation playing aggrieved authority figures, most famously in National Lampoon’s Animal House and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Now in his 70s, he takes a critical look back on his life and career in this meditation on power, privilege, and the perils of being a “type.”