The annual KINO Short Film Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary with a newly expanded two-day event consisting of workshops, short films, feature-length films, Q&As and awards. On April 25 at 3 p.m., a selection of short films was shown at Mikey’s Greek Gyros and later that night at the Kenworthy Performing Art Centre, the remainders were screened. After the last film was played, the audience voted on their favorites and awards for top films were presented.
The festival’s founder and former University of Idaho professor, Hans Rosenwinkel, is now a Film and Television professor at the University of Colorado, Denver. He launched KINO in 2001 as an opportunity for students, mainly in the broadcasting major, to showcase their film and digital media projects.
Historically, KINO has only screened films for one night in the spring. This is the first time that the festival has spread out over two days, with almost double the number of films this year.
“It’s changed a great deal in its lifespan … It persisted as a showcase of student video work for a long while when we added specific classes for making short films. Then, after we launched the Film and TV program in 2017, we wanted to grow it from just a student showcase event into a regional film festival that still shows student films from UI, but also from other regional film schools and aspiring filmmakers,” said Russell Meeuf, the Director of the Film & Television program at UI. He is also a Journalism and Mass Media department professor and one of KINO’s co-organizers, who has been involved with the festival since 2012.
The Kenworthy drew a large crowd for the 7 p.m. short film showcase, packing the theater with families, Moscow locals, filmmakers and other members of the Northwest film community. The selection of short films was split into three acts with Q&A sessions in between, giving the audience the opportunity to ask directors and contributors questions.
“My favorite thing about KINO is the energy and excitement that the students bring. It’s usually a really fun crowd. We have a very eclectic and interesting mix of films, so seeing the audiences’ response and the enthusiasm of our students seeing their work up on the big screen and also the work of other filmmakers in the region is always really fun,” Meeuf said. “I love the experience of having students get to see their films, sometimes for the very first time, up on the big screen, in a theater, in front of an audience.”
Kyle Howerton, a UI Journalism and Mass Media professor, is the other co-director of KINO. He started getting involved in 2019, helping navigate the festival through the outbreak of COVID-19.
“There’s a lot of magic with KINO and a lot of camaraderie, and it’s such a busy time in the year where everyone’s stressed out. [KINO] is an event that we celebrate each other at and it’s so fun to see the energy leaving the Kenworthy after each screening, where everyone’s excited about their next project,” said Howerton.
Once all of the films were screened, awards were presented to the winners. Most popular with the audience was “Tortoise and Hare,” directed by Marcellyn Fisher, a UI student who will soon be graduating with a B.A. in film and television.
Workshops took place throughout the day on Saturday, April 26, available to visiting filmmakers, festival passholders, and UI Film and Television students. Jake Thornton taught one on successful pitching, Michael Notar gave a lighting demo, Megan Griffiths coached a directing workshop and Adam Terrell explained professional sound recording.
At 4 p.m., a documentary on UI biologists traveling to the Galapagos Islands titled “Snail Hunters” screened at the Kenworthy. Then, to celebrate the work of UI alumna Megan Griffiths, her film “Year of the Fox,” which hasn’t been broadly released yet, was played at 7:30 p.m., giving the Moscow community a unique chance to view her recent work. A Q&A session followed, along with the presentation of the Trailblazer Award to honor her contributions to filmmaking in the Pacific Northwest.
“She’s a good model of someone who’s built a great career in the television industry without having to live in New York or LA, who can continue to contribute to the Pacific Northwest region,” said Meeuf.
Not only is KINO a great opportunity for filmmakers to show their projects to a wide audience, but it is also an amazing networking event for those who wish to continue their path into the industry. Students and regional filmmakers get to connect with other participants in the festival every year, exchanging stories, insight, knowledge and future job opportunities.
Howerton hopes that the festival inspires filmmakers to branch out, meet new people and partner with others in the Northwest. “It’s a very tight knit community. Everyone knows someone, who knows someone else, so we’re trying to help grow and cultivate that a bit here, and I think that’s a long-term goal of KINO.”
Serving as motivation and inspiration to many, this year’s KINO Festival had a great turnout, with talented crews, attention-grabbing films and a very enthusiastic audience. This celebration of the power of storytelling is something to look forward to every spring, always bringing a promising array of future filmmakers.
Layla Phillis can be reached at [email protected].