That’s one of the topics filmmakers will discuss as part of free workshops sponsored Feb. 8 by Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s College of Arts & Humanities to kick off the Love Your Shorts Film Festival in Sanford. The Feb. 8-11 festival will feature 80 short films from 10 countries along with 15 Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ student exhibition films and two student films in competition.

“Florida is a great place to make any kind of film but there is a quirkiness to this state that lends itself to creepy story lines and absurd characters,” said Associate Professor of Film Lisa Mills. “Many people out there are making scary films and we wanted to use our panel to explore what makes a film scary, and try to figure out why so many scary movies are made in Florida.”

The two Education Day workshops for aspiring and veteran filmmakers (“What makes a movie scary?” at 9 a.m. and “Why is Florida a good place to make a scary movie?” at 10 a.m.) will be led by Mills at the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce, 400 E. 1st St., in downtown Sanford. The panel is made up of Central Florida film professionals, including four with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ ties: Zachary Beckler, a Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ film graduate and now lecturer whose horror films have been screened around the world, and Michael Walsh, a professor of cinematography studies whose credits include working on Pirates of the Caribbean II and III, Monster, 2 Fast and 2 Furious, The Waterboy and 70 other feature films and more than 400 TV episodes; Lacey Maloch, a Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ graduate and filmmaker who co-founded SlashHer Productions; and Morgan McKinley, a Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ graduate who works on special effects for SlashHer Productions and has done makeup for Halloween Horror Nights.

Space is limited, so free registration can be found with the festival ticket information on the Ěý·É±đ˛ú˛őľ±łŮ±đ.

Student Films

The 15 student films of drama, comedy and other genres also will be shown free at 7 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, 201 S. Magnolia Ave. The movies were created by students in directing classes or as capstone projects.

Character Animations in Competition

Two other student films by the university’s 2017 character animation class will be shown in competition at the weekend festival.

Dreamweaver, about a frightened Chippewa girl who is helped to overcome her nightmares, was submitted by student directors Katherine Ryschkewitsch and Erich Schulz and their faculty director Cheryl Briggs. The film will be shown in the festival’s E for Everyone block of films at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 10.

Cuddlefish is the story of a Viking sailor whose travels come to a halt when a love-sick kraken falls in love with the anchor on the seafarer’s ship. The film submitted by Briggs and student directors Brianna Jaeger and Jared Bittner will be screened in the animation block at 1 p.m. Feb. 10.

Mills said it is rewarding for students to see their finished projects shown on the big screen—in this case, a refurbished 1923 theater on the National Register of Historic Places.

“Film is still an art to be enjoyed collectively, even in these days of streaming video,” said Mills. “So when a student can sit in the audience and experience the reactions of people sitting all around her—the laughs, the sniffles, the gasps—then that student understands the blood, sweat and tears she put into making her film was all worth it.”

The weekend festival at the theater will showcase short films in seven categories (comedy, drama, animation, documentary, sci-fi/horror, Florida Flavor, and E for Everyone), plus an opening-night variety of films, and a Best of the Fest competition on closing night. Also scheduled is a free panel at 5 p.m. Feb. 10, at which visiting filmmakers will present a discussion and Q&A on techniques, tips and current projects.

This is the third year of the university and festival’s growing partnership, which this year also begins WÂ鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ TV’s involvement as the festival’s media partner. The PBS station and film festival are developing some joint projects.

The college’s free Education Day will kick off the four-day festival of more than 70 short films from a dozen countries. Three of those films in competition were directed by Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ graduates.

Lisa Mills, an associate professor of film in the college’s School of Visual Arts & Design who is leading the workshops, said this year’s sessions focus on animation because she said she’s never seen the topic offered as an educational component at other festivals. The workshops are geared for anyone who’s ever thought about writing, producing, animating or directing a film.

A 9 a.m. panel discussion on “Animation Adaptions to the Digital Age” and a 10 a.m. discussion on “Careers in Animation” will be led by Mills at the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce, 400 E. 1st St. The panel will consist of:

At 11:30 a.m., Mark Seppala, a Sanford artist and Walt Disney World’s former general manager for character merchandise, will talk about “My Life in Animation,” including his time in the field of merchandise design and animation. A graduate of the New England School of Art and Design, he majored in animation and advertising design. After 25 years at Disney, he retired three years ago and now has a studio at the Gallery on First in Sanford.

Space is limited so reservations are recommended through the festival’s website, LoveYourShorts.com.

At 7 p.m., the student films that were completed last year will be screened at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, 201 S. Magnolia Ave.

With titles such as Grizzly Girl by Destiny Deming, Mirrored Canvas by Christine Paul, Ape and Turtle Versus the Fire Monster by Rick Lee, and Burp by Benjamin L. Gill, there’s a little something for all film fans. Some of the films have mature themes and language, so viewer discretion is advised.

Three student films that were submitted and accepted by the festival for competition are:

The rest of the festival weekend at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center will showcase short films in seven categories (comedy, drama, animation, documentary, sci-fi/horror, Florida Flavor, and E for Everyone), plus an opening-night variety of films, and a Best of the Fest competition on closing night. Also on Saturday during the festival, a workshop will be offered for middle and high school students to see what it is like to be on a working film set, and a panel of visiting filmmakers will present a discussion and Q&A on techniques, tips and current projects. All the workshops and panels are free.

For a schedule of films, events and ticket information, visit the festival website. And for updates: .

Education Day, sponsored Feb. 11 by Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s College of Arts & Humanities, will kick off the festival activities at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, where 61 short films from 17 countries will be shown during the weekend. This is the second year Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ has sponsored Education Day at the festival.

“This kind of connection between the university, artists, and citizens is what Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s College of Arts & Humanities is all about,” said Lisa Mills, an associate professor of film in the college’s School of Visual Arts & Design. “The day will feature one-of-a-kind workshops where anyone can learn more about the filmmaking process.”

Three workshops will be presented for both novice and veteran filmmakers.

Workshop panelists will lead informative and nurturing discussions for anyone who’s ever thought about writing, producing, directing, or even acting in a film, Mills said.

Two morning workshops will be led by Mills at the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce, 400 E. 1st St., Sanford:

Others on the morning workshop panels are: Marco DiGeorge, program director at Truthful Acting Studios in Orlando and an adjunct at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝; Tim Ritter, an Orlando independent feature film director, video producer and Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ adjunct; Leslie Maine, a Tampa actress, filmmaker and writer; and Lukas Hassel, a New York actor, director and writer.

All the Education Day workshops and student films are free, but those planning to attend the workshops are asked to register at the festival’s website, LoveYourShorts.com. Some of the films have mature themes and language.

The rest of the festival weekend will showcase short films in seven categories (Comedy, Drama, Animation, Documentary, Sci-Fi/Horror, Florida Flavor, and E for Everyone), plus an opening-night variety of films, and a Best of the Fest competition on closing night. Also on Saturday during the festival, a panel of visiting filmmakers will present a discussion and Q&A on techniques, tips and current projects.

Two films with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ student connections were accepted for competition in the Florida Flavor block of the festival:

The site of the festival, the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, was built in 1923 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

For a schedule of festival films and ticket information, visit the festival website’s ticket page. And for updates: .

The Feb. 12 workshops will be part of the festival’s Education Day, which will also include the screening of films created by high school and college students from around the state. The festival’s Education Day activities are sponsored by Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s College of Arts and Humanities. During the rest of the weekend, the festival will show 61 short films from 11 countries.

“One of the goals of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s College of Arts and Humanities is to nourish artistic learning and endeavors,” said Jose Fernandez, dean of the college. “Leading educational programs at Love Your Shorts Film Festival helps fulfill that mission by enriching the lives of the community, our students and potential students.”

To start the 5-year-old festival’s first Education Day, Lisa Mills, an associate professor of film, will lead two workshops at the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce, 400 E. 1st St.:

Others on the workshop panel are: film instructor Kate Shults, filmmakers and Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ graduates James Noir and Zach Becker, and MFA film student Yesi Lima. The film program is part of the college’s School of Visual Arts & Design.

The workshops are free, but those planning to attend are asked to register at the festival’s website, LoveYourShorts.com.

At 7 p.m. that night, the festival’s Education Day will show a free block of high school and college student films from around the state at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, 201 S. Magnolia Ave., Sanford. The films are from STARTFEST Student Art Festival, a statewide project to encourage student filmmakers.

The rest of the nonprofit Love Your Shorts Film Festival weekend will showcase films up to 30 minutes each in seven categories (Comedy, Drama, Animation, Documentary, Sci-Fi/Horror, Florida Flavor, and E for Everyone), plus an opening-night variety of films, and a Best of the Fest competition on closing night. Also on Saturday during the festival, a panel of visiting filmmakers will present a discussion and Q&A on techniques, tips and current projects.

For a schedule of films and ticket information, visit the festival website at LoveYourShorts.com.

Four films with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ ties were accepted to be screened at the Feb. 14-16 festival, a group of five Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ faculty members and undergraduate students will lead workshops for filmmakers, and one professor will be a festival judge. The weekend event will be held in the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center.

“It’s important for students to enter film festivals so that they can experience their film along with a live audience,” said Lisa Mills, an associate professor of film and organizer of the workshops.  “Watching a film in a dark room is a much more communal experience than watching it on a DVD or computer screen. You see and hear things in your film that you never noticed before.”

Three of the films to be shown were directed by students:

The fourth film was directed by Robert Cassanello, an associate professor in the History Department, and Mills. The 24-minute documentary, The Committee, was researched and written by students in an honors documentary class, and was edited by Aaron Hose, a video producer in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝â€™s Center for Distributed Learning.

The movie is about a little-known investigative committee of the Florida Legislature from 1956 to 1964 that sought to root out homosexuals from state universities.

The festival’s educational workshops were designed by Mills for visiting and aspiring filmmakers, and will be held Thursday morning at the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce. In addition to Mills, other panelists are: Andrew Kenneth Gay, a visiting assistant professor of film and independent filmmaker; and film graduate students Max Rosseau, Tim Ritter and Charles Sutter.

The workshops are: “So You Have an Idea for a Film—Now What?” and “So You’ve Made an Independent Film—Now What?”

The festival shows films in seven categories (comedy, drama, animation, documentary, sci-fi/horror, Florida Flavor and E for Everyone, which is for viewers of all ages). The winners of each block of films, as determined by the voting viewers, advance to the final Best of the Fest block of movies on Sunday night, at which Mills also is one of the five judges.

Mills said she loves the art of the short film because they are tight and concise.

“The good ones make you like the main character very quickly and deliver a simple and elegant message at the end,” she said.

For the festival schedule and other information, go to the LoveYourShorts.com website or .

The 17-minute film noir version of a 1940s detective caper features child actors wearing trench coats and ordering their drinks in a juice bar.

Garvin, of Orlando, said her studies at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ helped her secure a job in Miami as a TV production assistant.

Lisa Mills, an assistant professor of film, served as a judge at the second year of the short-film event, which showed 70 movies in three days.

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The festival, in its second year, will include two short movies by Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ Film students and will enlist a Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ professor as a judge.

The event will screen 70 short films from 13 countries at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center. Among the films selected from more than 220 submissions were the student movies Bubblegum Smackers, directed by Lindsay Garvin, and Italian Life, directed by Eric Coppa-Cross.

Bubblegum Smackers is a 17-minute film noir version of a 1940s detective caper, except child actors are the characters wearing the trench coats and acting as tough guys.

Italian Life is a nine-minute story about a young woman working in a café who has trouble making espresso.

Garvin, of Orlando, said she has been shooting film since she was 6 – “My dad had a camera and I took it from him.”

What she has learned at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ is that successful filmmaking is not as easy as it looks on the screen. She said the techniques she has learned helped her secure a job as a TV production assistant in Miami that she will start after she graduates this semester.

Coppa-Cross, of Melbourne, said he has learned the technical aspects of film and how the industry runs.

“More interesting is the experience,” he said “When working on a film set you’re gaining so much more experience, and the school has given me the opportunity for that.”

From the other side of the classroom, Assistant Professor Lisa Mills is returning to the festival as a judge for the second year. She has worked at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ since 2006, teaching documentary production, foundations of story, and other courses.

“I try to encourage my students to nurture their creativity and take time to think about what they want to create and why,” Mills said. “I encourage them to enter festivals.”

Another Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ connection is the festival’s media director, Christina Grace, who is a Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ graphic designer and graduate.

“Student filmmakers don’t jump right out of the gate producing feature-length films,” she said. “The short film is really where they get their start and get noticed.”

She said the Sanford festival also is a good opportunity for students to network with other filmmakers from around the country and world. Last year there were filmmakers and film fans at the festival from as far away as California and Canada.

Wayne Densch Inc. is the presenting sponsor of the event, which will be held in the historic 1923 Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center.

The festival will show an opening-night block of movies; a final-night Best of the Fest; and, in between, seven 90-minute blocks of animation, comedy, drama, documentary, sci-fi/horror, Florida Flavor and E for Everyone, which is for families and children.

A free panel discussion with filmmakers will be held Saturday, Feb. 11.

A schedule and description of the movies is at http://LoveYourShorts.com.