Following the renewal of Kentucky's refundable film tax incentives and a spike in feature film production in the city from director's like Gus Van Sant & Ethan Hawke, the University of Louisville is celebrating the next generation of filmmakers at its Flock of Films student showcase at the Speed Cinema.

Featuring mind readers (fiction short “I Can Hear What You Think”), malcontent bananas (fiction short “Banana”), stop motion animation hijinks (music video “Girl(twist)”) and an exploration of the local immigration experience (documentary short “Beechmont & the American Dream”), this free event on Thursday April 17th features an array of short works produced in classes at the university's film program. 

Doors open at 6pm with snacks and drinks, screening starts at 7pm with a Q&A to follow. Parking can be found at the Speed Art Museum garage. Seating is limited, so arrive early to guarantee a seat.

Revamped in 2016 as a Film Studies & Production minor, the UofL Film Program has been growing with additional faculty & classes, equipment upgrades and more paid opportunities for students to work in the industry. Students in the program have gone on to work for news organizations like NPR, TV shows (Full Frontal with Samantha Bee), Criterion, and feature films shooting in Louisville (Queen of the Ring, LandLord). These students have also gone on to get into MFA programs, screen at film festivals and earn awards for their shorts such as Best Feature Story from KAPB and Best Short from Fright Lake Horror Film Festival.

"We're really proud of the effort our students put into these projects," said filmmaker and UofL professor, Remington Smith. "Filmmaking is a lot of fun, but it's even more work. So learning that creative discipline in the classroom is setting them up to go onto great things after they graduate. We're privileged to be that resource in the community."

The Flock of Films showcase has been an event of community building as well. After earning sponsorships from the University of Louisville's Department of Communication, Department of Comparative Humanities, Honors Program, and The Liberal Studies Visiting Scholars Project, local film organizations & production houses also joined as community partners, including Kertis Creative, the Louisville Film Society, Women in Film Ky, 502 Film, Below the Line Shorts & Post 237. 

These partnerships aim to solidify the film program's place as a hub for film & film production for students and the Louisville community alike. "It's a brain trust for what we're currently doing in the program and what we want to do, along with helping students get jobs during & after their time at UofL." Those goals include continuing to grow enrollment and turn the minor into a full major. The Flock of Films showcase should help both objectives.

For updates on Flock of Films & the UofL Film Program, follow their Instagram @UofLFilm, YouTube channel or visit their website, louisville.edu/film.