Yalie filmmakers zoom in from every angle

Beat poet Allen Ginsberg once said, "whoever controls the media—the images—controls the culture." If he was right, then the men and women of Yale's accomplished filmmaking community are powerful people indeed. University Pictures (UPix), the Yale Film Society (YFS), and YFS subsidiary YFS Films oversee almost all of Yale's on-campus film productions, which include original pictures, documentaries, music videos, and spoofs. And, this past year, a group known as Porn 'n Chicken garnered national media attention for planning to film a full-length pornographic film, starring only Yale students.

COURTESY YFS FILMS Blake Edwards, SM '02, and Clarissa Ward, JE '02, starred in the immensely popular Blue Devil.

Formed to serve Yalies' growing interest in film production, UPix enables student filmmakers to bring their cinematic visions to life on the big screen. UPix lends equipment, film crews, and expertise to aspiring filmmakers and also sponsors an annual spring showing of Yale student films. Founded by Jon Andrews, SM '96, winner of a 1996 Student Academy Award for his film Short Change, UPix also offers special training workshops for freshmen and assists senior film studies majors with the logistics of their senior projects.

YFS Films, the production division of The Yale Film Society, has united its own exciting group of Yale filmmakers. Last year, YFS Films facilitated the release of Blue Devil, a full-length black comedy about a miserable economics major desperate to jumpstart his life at any cost. Shot on digital video, Blue Devil was written, directed, produced, acted, and edited by Yale undergraduates. Thanks to a massive publicity campaign, it drew a huge audience, making the release a campus-wide event.

Other student filmmakers work independently of organized filmmaking groups, assisted by friends, faculty, and the facilities and expertise of various University departments. For them, the Digital Media Arts Center on York Street is an invaluable resource. Many filmmakers get financial assistance to pay for equipment from the residential college Sudler Fund, helping them produce independent art projects.

A film festival in September where student filmmakers will be able to showcase their art is one of several activities the YFS has planned for the upcoming year. Supported by a partnership with Teli, Yale's recently founded digital-television network, the festival is open to all Yale students and will award a prize and cash award to the best film.

Despite all of their accomplishments, YFS and UPix filmmakers have been overshadowed in recent months by the production of The StaXXX, the much-publicized first pornographic film starring Ivy League students. Produced and directed by members of the furtive organization Porn 'n Chicken—whose invitation-only meetings consist of watching porn while eating copious amounts of fried chicken—the feature, supposedly filmed in the Sterling Memorial Library Stacks, made national headlines once the Herald broke the story in January. The existence of the film was in doubt until a trailer was aired before a YFS movie screening in April. Sources say that the first full screening will be held this fall, though the film's existence is still questionable.

Not only filmmakers, but also film enthusiasts can find a home at Yale. The YFS usually hosts weekly film screenings in 35mm format (the same as most movie theaters) in the Whitney Humanities Center auditorium two blocks from Old Campus. The YFS shows classics, foreign art films, recent box-office hits, and occasional sneak previews. This past year, they screened such favorites as Casablanca, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Braveheart, and The Big Lebowski. They also showed previews of The Contender, The Legend of Bagger Vance and Bridget Jones' Diary months before their respective theatrical releases.

The YFS also brings in film celebrities and industry talents to speak and host screenings of their films. This past year, Bamboozled director Spike Lee and Blow director Ted Demme visited, as did actor Casey Affleck and editor Andrew Mondshein, who worked on The Sixth Sense and Chocolat. Even Richard Hatch, the million-dollar winner of CBS's Survivor, hosted a YFS-sponsored Master's tea.

The Yale Medical School Film Society also provides a valuable resource for film lovers. Situated in the Medical School's Harkness Hall, and easily accessible by Yale Transport buses, the Medical School Society shows two or three different films every weekend. Ranging from classics like Monty Python's The Meaning of Life to art house gems like The Madness of King George and Ingmar Bergman's Persona, to contemporary seat-fillers like Traffic and the recent release A Knight's Tale, the Medical School Society's large selection of films caters to every taste. It has also recently begun to bring sneak previews to campus, such as Driven and A Knight's Tale. Those lucky enough to live in Silliman College can also sate their movie cravings at Silliflicks, the college's very own movie theater. Any Sillimander can sign up for a slot to use the theater and enjoy a selection from the college's large DVD collection.

Whether you are a budding filmmaker or just a film lover, Yale's vibrant film scene offers something for everyone. Just avoid eating too much chicken.

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