South Dakota Film Festival Honors MSUM Film and Animation

The School of Media Arts & Design was well represented at the 10th annual South Dakota Film Festival. Dr. Tony Adah, Kyja K-Nelson and 18 film and animation students traveled to Aberdeen, S.D., Sept. 23-25 to exhibit their film, animation and video installation. Additionally, SoMAD was honored at the festival. 

Student work included animated shorts by Aaron Beck (The Split), and Connie Von Ohlen (Pal), and short films by Hanna Loegering (Recruited), Regan Meyer ([un]Heard), Brianna Overstreet (Dementia), Danny Tusa and Zach Thompsen (May the Price Be with You).

Recent alumni, Jake Reeder (Los Angeles), Zach Wentz (Los Angeles), Liz Geyer (Fargo), Jakob Kolness (Fargo), and Casey Murdock (Fargo), screened their capstone film, Westall. Recent Animation alumnus Adam Osowski (Fargo) premiered his animated short, FOOD!, made while he was in his last year at MSUM. Film Production alumnus, Conor Holt (Los Angeles), screened his recent film, Alternate. Alumnus Greg Carlson (Fargo) screened his recent documentary A Perfect Record, and received the Best Documentary Short Award.

somad_sdFaculty work screened included a 3-channel video installation of Look Out Point and narrative short The Fiscal Cliff, both by Kyja K-Nelson.

On the closing day of the festival, MSUM alumnus and co-founder of the South Dakota Film Festival, Brent Brandt, presented MSUM School of Media Arts & Design with the Friends of the Festival Award, for the relationship they have built and maintained for the ten years the festival has been running.