Student documentaries featured in Artlightenment

In May, a group of 11 MTSU students traveled to France to create documentaries about artists who live and work in Paris.

The program, led by Documentary Channel founder and Electronic Media Communication’s Tom Neff, resulted in three short films centered around up-and-coming fashion designers and musicians. After months of post-production and organization, the films have been accepted into Nashville’s Artlightenment festival and will be shown on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at Celebrity Centre, 1130 8th Ave. S.

The films were directed, produced and edited entirely by the students, a mix of film, electronic media communication and journalism majors. The films are Fighter, A Designer’s Canvas and Le Debut.

Fighter is about an Afro-French singer named Jara Ezo. Her first big solo, “Dangerous Fighter,” packs a powerful beat, a touch of scat and a huge dose of girl power. Her fierce persona and funky lyrics, however, tell the story of a much deeper theme … freedom. In Fighter, the audience meets the three women who help shape Ezo’s destiny. Directed by Kelly Rozell.

A Designer’s Canvas is about a young fashion designer named Pierre-Henry Bor. He combines a classic Chanel elegance with a modern, edgy style. Bor has been an artist since he was a child. The spark for fashion design came to him thanks to the fashion institute, Instituto Marangoni. He has interned for famous designers like Eric Charles Donatien and Iris Van Herpen. His designs are heavily influenced by these designers and reflect the classic architectural style of Paris. Directed by Mayra Cervantes.

Le Debut is about Alice Elia, the latest winner of Suzy Amis Cameron’s Red Carpet Green Dress Competition. Growing up in the scenic Bordeaux, France, Elia’s heart for fashion bloomed at the early age of 7. She enrolled in ESMOD School of Fashion Design and Business in Bordeaux and transferred to the school’s branch in Paris two years ago. Being chosen as the winning designer for the Red Carpet Green Dress Competition, her design was worn by Hollywood actress Olga Kurylenko at the Oscars in March. Le Debut follows Alice as her time at ESMOD is coming to an end and her debut into the real world of fashion is about to unveil. Directed by Richard Adams.

“I have judged many festivals for documentaries, and the excellence of the work of these MTSU students rivals anything being produced in the country today,” said Neff, a lecturer in the university’s video and film production program and executive producer for the films. “The audience will be very impressed with the quality and professionalism of the documentaries the students have created, and the films showcase the ability and talent of the students at MTSU.

The Paris shoot is part of the MTSU Signature Documentary Program Abroad created by Neff, where advanced film, video and sound-production students travel to a foreign city for 21 days to shoot documentaries. Three teams of three to four students each choose a working artist on whom to shoot a 10-minute documentary which is finished at MTSU upon return from their travels. Cities for the program have included Florence, Italy, and Paris, with the 2015 program going to Athens, Greece. Documentaries from the program have won numerous film festival awards.

For more information about the festival, click here.