According to its mission statement, Elon University is dedicated to “preparing students to be global citizens and informed leaders.” But what exactly does it mean to be a global citizen?
This is one of many questions addressed by students in the inaugural 50/50 film festival, an event co-sponsored by the School of Communications, the Counsel on Civic Engagement and Project Pericles.
Starting at 5pm on Friday, March 9, the festival challenged student teams to create films within 50 hours, using 50 words or less, which addressed the issues of global citizenship. Students also had the opportunity to submit poetry or lyrics exploring the same questions.
These efforts culminated in a screening and reading that took place Sunday, March 11, at 7pm. Authors and representatives read aloud the top five poetry selections, interspersed between screenings of the film entries. A panel of judges then evaluated the submissions and announced the winners at a reception following the screening.
The film “Listen,” entered by Mike Allen, CJ Fleishmann and Alex Heller, took the first place prize. It focused on the importance of becoming involved by literally opening your ears to what’s going on in the world around you. Second-place winner “Disposable,” by Colin Havey and Max Cantor, explored the idea that people are not disposable, while the People’s Choice Award (a prize bestowed based on votes of all viewers) went to “The Difference,” a film by Brittany Yelverton, Stevie Kloeber and Jason Spitzer that addresses the impact one person can have on the world.
In poetry, the first place winner was Glenn Barnard for “Let the Sun Rise.” Katie Hight’s “Helpless”—which covered everything from Hurricane Katrina to Darfur to global warming—took second place, and Mary Lyons’ call to action “Aren’t We the Lucky Ones?” came in third.
Recognition was also given for the best male and female lead actors. Andy Newman, who appeared in the film “Listen” was selected for best male lead and Olivia Andrews who is featured in “The Difference” was awarded best female lead.
Go to http://www.elon.edu/e-web/news/ecast/ and click on the video tab to see the film winners.