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Two UOG student films win awards among 1,700 entrants

Two UOG student films win awards among 1,700 entrants

Two UOG student films win awards among 1,700 entrants


4/16/2020

 student films poster

“Left on Read,” a film directed by UOG student Keanno Fausto, and “The Passenger,” a film directed by UOG student Stephanie Smith, won Awards of Excellence in the 2020 Festival of Media Arts by the Broadcast Association Education.

Keanno Fausto holds the “Best Made in the Marianas” award
Keanno Fausto, center, holds the “Best Made in the Marianas” award that his film “Left on Read” won at the Guam International Film Festival in October 2019. He is joined by his film cast and crew, UOG students (from left) Shawn Camacho, Brandon Cruz, Marilea Torcelino, Audrey Meno, Amanda Finona, and Drake Taitano.

Two films written and directed by University of Guam communications students have won awards among 1,750 entries in the Festival of Media Arts by the Broadcast Education Association. The UOG students are among 368 awardees who will be recognized and whose videos will be available to view at the BEA2020 convention, which will take place virtually this weekend.

The two original screenplays — “The Passenger,” directed by Stephanie Smith and co-written by Keanno Fausto and Bradley Bartonico, and “Left on Read,” directed by Fausto and co-written by Kiana Brown and Brandon Cruz — were written for a film criticism course taught by Associate Professor Raymond Anderson and then adapted to film for an independent filmmaking class taught by instructor Kel Muna.

“This is UOG’s first time winning this student award, and to have two get recognized I think is outstanding,” Anderson said.

The festival is an internationally judged exhibition of faculty and student work with entrants this year from more than 300 universities nationwide. The UOG student films both won Awards of Excellence as narrative works.

The cast and crew of “Left on Read” pause the filming of a grocery store scene
The cast and crew of “Left on Read” pause the filming of a grocery store scene for a photo break in 2019. The film has won four local and national awards.
“It’s surreal to be recognized for your team’s work,” said Fausto, who had a hand in both films. “When we were creating the film, we were not anticipating any recognition or honors at all and simply wanted to tell a meaningful story that we would watch ourselves.”

“The Passenger” is about a rideshare driver giving a ride to a distraught and mysterious passenger, and “Left on Read” follows 17-year-old Sirena Perez as she deals with “offline drama while trying to maintain her life online.”

Fausto said the two films would not have been possible without the instruction he and his classmates received in their film classes. He said they learned screenwriting, filming, editing, and exhibition as well as how to use camera equipment and software.

“Left on Read” has also been awarded locally – winning the “Best Made in the Marianas” award at the Guam International Film Festival in October and two awards at the UOG Film Festival last May.

Fausto, a senior communications major specializing in mass media and journalism and minoring in psychology, said he hopes to pursue a career as a filmmaker and continue to tell meaningful stories inspired by his own life and the island of Guam.

The films are viewable at https://bea2020.secure-platform.com/a.