Ian Cheney’s (’18) films, THIRTEEN WAYS and PICTURE CHARACTER, premiere

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Alumnus Ian Cheney’s (’18) thesis documentary, THIRTEEN WAYS, will screen at the DC Environmental Film Festival on Thursday, Mar 21, 2019.

A series of scientists (and, for good measure, a few nonscientists) travel to a plot of Maine land they have never seen before. One-by-one, through all four seasons, they walk the land and describe what they see. What unfolds is an unusual meditation upon the human relationship to the natural world and the power of different ways of seeing.


PICTURE CHARACTER, directed by Cheney and Martha Shane, will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC on Sunday, April 28, 2019.

Emojis (Japanese for “picture character”) have emerged as a way for billions to communicate. Their widespread use and ability to convey complex and subtle feelings could mean the world is on the cusp of discovering a new language. Directors Martha Shane and Ian Cheney take us deep into the world of picture characters, from the private non-profit international consortium that standardized emoji offerings and decides on the introduction of new ones, to the campaigns for new emojis such as those depicting menstruation and Argentinian mate, and to the very beginnings of emojis in Japan. 

Picture Character follows the path of smiling poops and heart-eyed faces, tackles the development of skin tones, and tracks the evolution of the global digital language. Like a good use of a chin scratching emoji, the documentary is both thought-provoking and fun, and it will insure that viewers never look at another emoji, or think of language itself, the same way again.  (Sudeep Sharma)

Be sure to check out the full lineup of 2019 Tribeca Festival films.

We expect to see both of these films have a busy festival year–stay tuned!Adidas footwear | Air Jordan

Festival Roundup: Alumnus John Bruner’s (’17) thesis short, GROUNDED

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Alumnus John Bruner‘s (’17) thesis film GROUNDED has had tremendous festival success this past year screening at: Woods Hole Film Festival, Maryland International Film Festival, Austin Indie Fest, Canada Shorts, Short and Sweet Film Festival, Great Lakes Shorts Festival, Independent Shorts Awards, as well as at the UFVA (University Film and Video Association) Conference.

GROUNDED will next be screened this April (2019) at the Ft. Myers Beach International Film Festival.

 

James is a pilot trying to move into management. He might miss his big chance because he has to take his aging and very proper mother home after her extended visit. As James struggles to get back on course, his mother runs out of time to reveal a secret that could be what finally slows James down.

​The film is semi-autobiographical, recounting road trips the director took with his own mother more than a decade ago. It’s a story about some universal truths: how we sometimes put careers in front of people, how fears can block our enjoyment of life, and how we all crave a closeness within our families that’s sometimes hard to achieve.

 

 

 

 

More about John: John Bruner teaches film and media production at Taylor University. John has worked in film and broadcast/corporate television as an executive producer, director, writer, camera operator, editor and engineer. He envisioned and co-founded Taylor’s Los Angeles semester, preparing students to work in the entertainment industry. His career has taken him as far as Russia and Australia, from documentary and narrative filmmaking to television coverage of live concerts, political events, and sports.

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