‘Following Your Dreams’

Award-winning film director, producer and writer Spike Lee will headline this year’s festival. “Spike Lee: Following Your Dreams” will be held on March 26 at 7 p.m. in Wait Chapel. Tickets are $5 for the general public and may be ordered through the festival Web site.

Wake Forest students, faculty and staff will be admitted free if they have reserved a ticket in advance. Tickets not ordered in advance will cost $5 at the door for faculty and staff, if tickets are still available. Wake Forest students who do not order tickets in advance will still be admitted free at the door, if tickets are available. Tickets may be reserved through the festival Web site.

Feature Film Screenings

All film screenings are free and open to the public, but seating is limited. A question-and-answer session with the filmmakers will follow “Any Given Friday.” The complete schedule of screenings and speakers is posted on the festival Web site.

March 24
“The Messenger,” 8:15 p.m., Annenberg Forum Two soldiers, played by Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster, are assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification Service and have to deliver the bad news to the loved ones of fallen soldiers. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards.

March 25
“Beeswax,” 8:15 p.m., Annenberg Forum The film revolves around the personal and professional entanglements of twin sisters Jeannie and Lauren living in Austin, Texas. Jeannie co-owns a vintage clothing store with her friend Amanda. When Jeannie and Amanda begin to feud, Lauren makes a series of interesting and amusing choices.

March 27
“Any Given Friday,” 8:15 p.m., Annenberg Forum. “Any Given Friday” follows the story of a successful high school football coach, Gordon Walters, who leaves a nationally ranked team to transform a losing culture at South Brunswick High School in Southport, North Carolina. What starts as a personal mission to succeed where all others have failed becomes a hard-fought, four-year struggle to help his players experience success for the first time. The Wake Forest screening is the world premiere of the film.

Q & A with filmmakers Keith Barber and Sam Smartt will follow.

Speakers

March 24
Crashing Hollywood’s Gates, 6:30 -7:45 p.m., Annenberg Forum Hollywood veteran Angelica Casillas, digital production manager at Rhythm and Hues Studios, will provide insight on what it takes to get started in the film industry.

March 25
“The Storyteller’s Art,” 6:30 – 7:45 p.m., Annenberg Forum Scriptwriters Josh Olson of “History of Violence” fame (via live video feed) and Angus MacLachlan, who wrote the screenplay for “Junebug,” will examine the process, challenges and other aspects of creating the foundation of a film. Max Negin, lecturer in Wake Forest’s communication department, will moderate the session.

March 27
“Creating an Animated World,” 6:30 – 7:45 p.m., Annenberg Forum Bill Frake, a storyboard artist with Blue Sky Studios, will lead a discussion of how animated films are created. Frake has worked on “Pocahontas,” “Hercules,” “The Iron Giant,” “Horton Hears a Who,” and the “Ice Age” series.

Film Competition

The film competition part of the festival is open to undergraduate and graduate student filmmakers from around the world. Films will be judged in three categories: documentary, narrative and animation/experimental. Finalists’ films will be screened during the festival and prior to the awards ceremony on March 27. For screening times, visit the festival Web site.

About the Festival

Founded in 2008, the Reynolda Film Festival is organized and led completely by Wake Forest students. It is designed to promote the art of filmmaking and challenge aspiring filmmakers. The festival is sponsored by WAKE TV, the University’s student-run television station. The executive director is Brent Lindley, a Wake Forest junior from Burlington, N.C.