"Practical Poses for the Practical Artist," a period film set in 1904 San Francisco, written and directed by graduate film student Justine Frank, is one of the 48 short films that will screen in the fifth annual Polo Ralph Lauren Columbia University Film Festival April 15 to 21. The film features actress Melissa Kolaks, pictured above.

Columbia's Graduate Film Division in the School of the Arts presents a seven-day festival of screenings of new student work, sponsored by Polo Ralph Lauren. This is the fifth annual Polo Ralph Lauren Columbia University Film Festival, which has grown since 1996 to become one of the nation's most eagerly anticipated student film festivals. Last year, the event drew more than 3,000 spectators.

The Polo Ralph Lauren Columbia University Film Festival has earned a reputation as a place to spot emerging talent. Last year's festival winner for best film, One Day Crossing, directed by Joan Stein, written by Christina Lazaridi and produced by Karen Severns, was nominated this year for the Academy Award for best short film (live action). Many young filmmakers who introduce their work at the festival go on to major careers just a year or two out of the Columbia program. Recent examples include director-writers Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don't Cry), Lisa Cholodenko (High Art) and director James Mangold (Girl, Interrupted).

Films and digital videos to be screened this year range from classical narrative to the experimental and documentary, and tell stories of prejudice, personal courage, humorous self-discovery and gritty miracles in English, Icelandic, Polish, Czech, Spanish and Italian. This wide scope reflects both the international composition of the student body and the expansive concerns of the filmmakers.

The festival's screenings and events are guest-hosted by a number of well-known actors, writers, directors and producers, many of whom are alumni of the Film Division. Confirmed guest hosts at this date are: on April 15, Chevy Chase; on the 17th, Oscar nominee Ed Harris, and on Sat. April 21, director Kimberly Pierce.

The seven-day festival culminates in the awarding of more than $80,000 in prizes, including major awards from Polo Ralph Lauren, New Line Cinema and Lifetime. Among these awards are unique grants, the Development Awards, which provide funding for collaborative projects, teaming a writer, director and producer. The films made from these grants will be presented at the following year's festival.

"Scratch," directed by Julia Solomonoff, tells the story of a naive young woman who arrives in New York City looking for excitement.

"Columbia's film program is among the finest in the country and the works shown at the Polo Ralph Lauren Columbia University Film Festival reflect that level of excellence," said Ralph Lauren, Chairman and CEO of Polo Ralph Lauren. "It's been a privilege to support the efforts of these talented young filmmakers, and I wish them continued success."

"For the second year in a row, the School of the Arts Film Division has a significant presence at the Oscars," said Bruce Ferguson, dean of the Columbia School of the Arts. "If we were a company, investors would knock down our doors. Instead, we attract the best faculty and students in the world. I would change our name to Columbia Pictures if it weren't already taken."

"I have been attending student film festivals since 1966," said Dan Kleinman, chair of the Columbia School of the Arts Film Division. "Columbia in 2000 had the strongest program I've ever seen from one school in one year, including a future Academy Award nominee. We invite everyone who loves film to see what delights our students have to offer in 2001."

Highlights of the Festival

This year, 48 short films will be featured during the festival. They include Liesel de Boor's Cat Lady, a tall tale of wartime heroism about pets called in to serve their country, and Thor Gudmundsson's B.S.I., a visually stunning evocation of contemporary Iceland, about the encounter of two young drifters.

Matrilineal, by Caterina Klusemann, is an intense personal documentary that explores how a grandmother's secrets of identity have had repercussions on two subsequent generations of women. In the film, Klusemann investigates her family's cultural and historical roots, which wind through Italy, Venezuela, the United States and Poland.

"A Zen Tale," written and directed by Magdalena Sole, stars Kim Chan, who plays all three characters in the film.

Alison McDonald's The Life and Times of Little Jimmy B. (winner of last year's Directors Guild of America Award for Best Student African-American Film) is set in Depression-era Harlem. A young writer in his formative years experiences both isolation and artistic inspiration in the ghetto.

Naraz/Trainwreck, a drama written and directed by Michael Sedlacek, investigates group dynamics aboard a train compartment with a Gypsy couple and three military men as passengers. The film, in Czech, portrays a slice of modern Czech Republic where racism and ethnic violence persist.

The above short films will be screened on the final night of the festival, April 21st, as part of the Faculty Selects program, chosen by a committee of Columbia Film faculty.

Short films to be screened on other nights include Julia Solomonoff's Scratch, which pairs a naive out-of-town woman with a Serbian deserter in a weekend spree of New York City shoplifting, and the Spanish-language film Dos Mas, By Elias Leon-Siminiani, it explores a young couple's flight from Spain to New York City as the ultimate haven for escape and reinvention. Suzy Evans' Swindles & Slim revisits London's gangster underworld of the 1960s, and features strong performances and dark humor. The film presents two old-timers who regain their youth thirty years later and are forced to cope in a new environment.

The Andrew Sarris Award

This year marks the inauguration of a new annual prize, the Andrew Sarris Award, honoring the eminent film theorist and critic who has taught at Columbia since 1969. Columbia's graduate film students will present the inaugural prize to Sarris for his outstanding contributions as a teacher and critic. The public ceremony will take place 7:00 p.m. on Thurs., April 19th, before the evening's screenings begin. The Andrew Sarris Award will be given in subsequent years to exceptional Columbia faculty members and alumni selected by Columbia's graduate film students.

Ralph Lauren Columbia University Film Festival Schedule

• Sun., April 15, (DGA Theater, 110 W. 57th Street), 7.00 p.m.
  • Opening Night Ceremony/Short Works on Film 1
  • Screening of students shorts, followed by:
    Student Reel Awards Presentation
• Mon., April 16, (DGA Theater, 110 W. 57th Street), 7.00 p.m.
  • Short Works on Film 2
  • Screening of student shorts, followed by a short awards presentation
• Tues., April 17, (DGA Theater, 110 W. 57th Street), 7.00 p.m.
  • Short Works on Digital Video
  • Screening of student shorts, followed by a short awards presentation
• Thurs., April 19, (DGA Theater, 110 W. 57th Street), 7.00 p.m.
  • Presentation of the Andrew Sarris Award
  • Short Works on Film 3
  • Screening of student shorts, followed by a short awards presentation
• Fri., April 20 (DGA Theater, 110 W. 57th Street), 7.00 p.m.
  • Lifetime Student Filmmaker Award and Kathryn Parlan Hearst Awards:
    A Recognition of Women Filmmakers
  • Short Works on Film 4
  • Screening of student shorts, followed by a short awards presentation
• Sat., April 21st, (DGA Theater, 110 W. 57th Street), 7.00 p.m.
  • Faculty Selects Screening and Awards Night
  • Polo Ralph Lauren Development Award and New Line Cinema Development Award for collaborative projects

The Polo Ralph Lauren Columbia University Film Festival 2001

Sun., April 15th through Sat., April 21st

Festival Location

April 15th-21st (Screenings)
Directors' Guild of America (DGA) Theater,
110 West 57th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues)
New York City

Ticket Information

• Tickets for all DGA evening film events are $12 general admission/$8 students; Matinee screening (April 21st) is $8 general admission/$6 students; screenplay readings are $12 general admission/$8 students. Tickets are available by calling the Miller Theater Box Office (212) 854-7799, or in person at Broadway at 116th Street, between 12 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Student discounts can only be claimed by showing valid student ID. Students may purchase up to four $8 tickets before the day of the screening.
• Tickets will also be available at the door from 5.30pm on the day of the event. (2 p.m. for the Saturday matinee). No $8 student tickets available. Payment in cash only.
• Members of the entertainment industry may call (212) 854-1484 to reserve tickets.
• Members of the press may call (212) 854-5579 for complimentary tickets.

For more information, the public may call (212) 854-1547 or visit http://www.cufilmfest.com/