\n\tFilms from two of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts students will be showcased at the 2009 Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Rick Curnutt’s Free Lunch and Kevin Acevedo’s The Last Page were accepted into the international competition and represent half of the accepted entries from the United States. The annual Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, which takes place January 30-February 7, 2009, is one of the most prestigious showcases for short films in the world.<\/p>\n
\n\t“We are honored that Dodge students have been recognized by the premier short film festival in the world. Having not only one, but two films accepted from the United States is a true testament to the extraordinary caliber of our students,” says Dean Robert Bassett.<\/p>\n
\n\tCo-written and directed by Rick Curnutt (M.F.A., Film Production ‘08), Free Lunch centers around Walter Tanner Jr, a privileged youth who sets off on the road to the American dream in a lunch truck. As he serves the working people of L.A., Walter struggles with the realities of business and being a fish out of water.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Last Page, co-written and directed by Kevin Acevedo (M.F.A., Film Production ‘08), deals with a screenwriter suffering from writer’s block. Taking a break from the screenplay he’s been working on forever, the writer embarks on a typical coffee break that unexpectedly turns into a nightmarish day from hell, providing him with all the inspiration he needs to finish his script.<\/p>\n
\n\tFor the 2009 Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, 76 short films from 51 countries were selected from thousands of submissions.<\/p>\n
\n\t###<\/p>\n
\n\tABOUT DODGE COLLEGE OF FILM<\/strong>
\n\tChapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, home to 1,100 students, is comprised of the Sodaro-Pankey Undergraduate School of Media, offering undergraduate degrees in film production, screenwriting, public relations and advertising, film studies, digital arts, and television and broadcast journalism; the Conservatory of Motion Pictures, offering graduate degrees in film production, film and television producing, screenwriting, production design and film studies. Marion Knott Studios, the $42-million, 76,000-square-foot home of the Dodge College, opened in fall 2006.<\/p>\n