It’s a wrap! After a weekend of fun, film and festivities, San Bernardino Valley College’s (SBVC) Institute of Media Arts (IMA) has finished up yet another successful Wolverine Con International Student Film Festival, held March 31 to April 3. 
 
The festival, which was held virtually, featured a cosplay contest, panel discussions with SBVC faculty and industry professionals, film screenings from students all over the world and SBVC, and an awards ceremony. This year’s theme was “Monsters and Aliens of Horror and Sci-Fi.” 
 
Lucas Cuny, SBVC assistant professor and director of the IMA, said Wolverine Con helps to showcase the incredible programs the college offers, particularly SBVC’s Film, Television, and Media Program, to students around the country.  
 
“In spite of having to hold the Con virtually, I am really jazzed how the weekend went,” Cuny said. “There’s some advantage to Zoom because we could have guests from all over come into the event. What was really cool is how our students respond to these events. They always talk to me later, amazed at who came to talk to them!” 
 
Cuny noted that one of his favorite panels was hosted by fellow SBVC instructor, Professor Anthony Blackscher, called “Black Masculinity and Nerd Culture” which focused on issues of race and white supremacy through the lens of media and pop culture. 
 
The opening night film, entitled “The Dino: A City in Focus”, is a short documentary directed by Daniel Saldaña, an SBVC IMA class of 2020 alum. The film interviews long-time residents of San Bernardino and, through their testimonies, paints a picture of the city’s historic economic boom and bust and the glimmers of hope that still remain.  
 
The films screened by SBVC students and alumni were: 

  • “San Bernardino” by Paul Del Rosario;
  • “Intrusion” by Jacob Hickman;  
  • “3 Days, 2 Nights” by Carlos Valencia, SBVC Class of ’20;  
  • “FPD-Fashion Police Department” by Dominick Garcez; 
  • “Skateboarding: 101” by Dominick Garcez;  and
  • “Conversations that Come Along with Chess” by Dominick Garcez. 

On the last day of the festival, a grand jury made up of industry professionals named the top films and filmmakers during a live virtual awards ceremony. Award winners received camera equipment, cash and gift cards. 
  
Located just an hour’s drive away from Hollywood, the Mecca of filmmaking, SBVC’s Film, Television, and Media program offers pathway-driven associates degrees and certificates in Digital Filmmaking, Audio Technology, Social Media Video Production and TV Studio Production. Students in the program are provided with the necessary critical and hands-on creative tools to launch their college-level film and media education and receive guidance for transferring to a four-year university or starting their career.