Smogdance Festival Features 2 ULV Filmmakers, April 24-26

A pair of recent University of La Verne graduates will see their original student productions presented as part of the 11th Annual Smogdance Film Festival scheduled for April 24-26 in historic downtown Pomona.

Gina Sandoval and Chris Davis, who each graduated in 2008 with bachelor’s degrees, are the first La Verne students to have work selected for viewing at the popular Smogdance event. This year’s festival will be held in the newly restored Pomona Fox Theater, located at 114 W. Third Street.
 
“Our students have been very successful in winning a variety of video competitions. Having a video screened in a festival also gives an opportunity for the student filmmakers to attend the screening and answer questions from the public. This experience of getting to discuss one’s work along with getting the exposure of having one’s work screened in a festival is a great experience” said Don Pollock, professor of Communications at La Verne.

Sandoval, who earned a B.A. in Communications with an emphasis in Broadcast Journalism, will have her original documentary “Timmy Wheels” shown on Friday, April 24. The piece profiles another La Verne student, Tim Music, as he works toward a career in sports broadcasting despite being confined to a wheelchair.

Davis, who received a B.A. in Broadcasting with an emphasis in TV, will have his film, “Mear One,” shown on Saturday, April 25. The production profiles a well known Los Angeles graffiti artist whose work is controversial.
Both videos previously earned awards from the Alliance for Community Media.

The Smogdance Film Festival was started and is still sponsored by dA Center for the Arts, a community non-profit organization promoting the arts in Pomona since 1984. The festival has previously been held in Prem Reddy Hall at Western University of Health Sciences in downtown Pomona and most recently in Galileo Hall at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont.

“This year, we have been chosen by the National Endowment for the Arts to receive the ‘Challenge America: Reaching Every Community (CAREC) Grant.’ This brings our festival to a new level of National accreditation and recognition.  Our long-term goal is to screen our festival in our city of origin, Pomona, and specifically at the Historic Pomona Fox Theatre,” said Festival Director Charlotte Cousins.

 The Smogdance Film Festival provides aspiring and established independent directors an opportunity to showcase their work. Films must be 50 minutes in length (or less) and winners are chosen by a jury panel of four. Winning entries receive $100 and honorable mention $50.

Additional information about the Smogdance Film Festival is available at its Web site at www.smogdance.com, by e-mail at info@smogdance.com, or by calling the festival director’s office at (909) 997-0761.