Cogswell College Blog

Cogswell Polytechnical College is pleased to announce that The Offering, the first animated, short film produced under the umbrella of the Project X class, has been selected for screening at the 11^th Annual Lake Arrowhead Film Festival. The festival takes place from April 22 to 25, 2010.

Since its inception in 1999, The Lake Arrowhead Film Festival has developed a reputation among independent filmmakers as one of the friendliest and most inviting film festivals around.

We have grown steadily, and along the way, we have honored some of the film industry’s most accomplished performers. Past honorees include those with local ties, such as June Lockhart, Christopher McDonald, Ernie Hudson and Vincent Spano, as well as distinguished families such as the Kirk Douglas family (Kirk, Michael, and Joel) and the John Carradine family (John, David, Keith and Robert). Others who have received awards in the past few years include Gena Rowlands, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Eric Roberts, Beau Bridges and Joe Mantegna.

Festival seminars have been led by such dignitaries as producers Harry Sherman and Chrisann Verges, director Joe Sargent, cinematographers Laslo Kovacs, Bill Fraker, Donald M. Morgan, James A. Cressanthis and Vilmos Zsigmond to name a few.

In 2007, we launched the festival’s new thematic direction: “The Lake Arrowhead Film Festival: Film, Television and Beyond.” We have all witnessed changes in the way that films are produced, financed, marketed and screened. At the LAFF, we embrace these changes and look forward to the exciting new films that will result from these innovations.

For the 2010 festival, we have added a new element and will be seeking films made by or about Native Americans. We will be awarding the “Cruz A. Chacon Award for Excellent Achievement in Film” for the first time ever.

Project X is a one-of-a-kind, project-based class – unparalleled in its scope and study as it incorporates every component of animation film production for the big and small screen. This class, under the direction of Animation faculty member and long-time professional animator Michael Huber, is only available at Cogswell. Students worked tirelessly for three semesters to produce this studio-quality short film. They were supported by a massive collaborative effort from faculty, staff, visiting artists, industry professionals and alumni.

-Bonnie Phelps, Dean of Institutional Advancement

Cogswell Polytechnical College is pleased to announce that The Offering, the first animated, short film produced under the umbrella of the Project X class, has been selected for screening at the 3^rd Annual Fallbrook Film Festival. The festival takes place from April 9 to 11, 2010.

The Fallbrook Film Festival evolved out of the Fallbrook Film Factory whose goal is to expose the art of filmmaking to all people, be it the young person trying to learn filmmaking or the adult who’s in another career but wants to explore filmmaking. During the Festival the Factory will sponsor a variety of filmmaking workshops that will be conducted by industry professionals who share their knowledge with aspiring filmmakers. In the spirit of the Fallbrook Film Factory, the workshops will be designed for everyone from independent filmmakers to hobbyists and students.

Until recently there were huge barriers to theatrical filmmaking. The cost to produce was prohibitive, typically in the millions, and the equipment, the know-how, and the processes were available only to a privileged few. Today, independent filmmaking is flourishing like never before and there are in fact many distribution outlets coming on line to serve this niche market. It was therefore a natural progression for the Factory to produce a film festival where emerging new filmmakers could showcase their work in a public venue.

Our special award this year will be the first annual “Frank Capra Award” presented by Frank Capra III for the most “Capraesque” submission- a film which lifts the human spirit . Frank Capra the beloved director of the classic holiday favorite “It’s a Wonderful Life” was a long time resident of Fallbrook during the heyday of his career and he has made lasting contributions to our area.

Project X is a one-of-a-kind, project-based class – unparalleled in its scope and study as it incorporates every component of animation film production for the big and small screen. This class, under the direction of Animation faculty member and long-time professional animator Michael Huber, is only available at Cogswell. Students worked tirelessly for three semesters to produce this studio-quality short film. They were supported by a massive collaborative effort from faculty, staff, visiting artists, industry professionals and alumni.

-Bonnie Phelps, Dean of Institutional Advancement