{"id":2379027,"date":"2026-04-18T15:31:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T15:31:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2379027"},"modified":"2026-04-18T15:31:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T15:31:24","slug":"full-circle-film-fest-celebrates-student-filmmaking-talent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/full-circle-film-fest-celebrates-student-filmmaking-talent\/","title":{"rendered":"Full Circle Film Fest celebrates student filmmaking talent"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Student filmmakers of all levels of expertise had the opportunity to showcase their work on the Challenger Center’s IMAX screen during Aquila Entertainment Group’s fifth annual Full Circle Film Fest on April 13. The Tallahassee-based broadcasting and media production company invited student filmmakers from all backgrounds to create and submit short films<\/a>, encouraging students to pick up a camera (or a pen) and make a masterpiece.<\/p>\n\n

Submissions included generative AI satires, slapstick superhero comedies, gory music videos, and more, creating a limitless range of themes and stories within the festival\u2019s small program of shorts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of independent short films being shot by students at FSU, and almost all of those wonderful filmmakers were at the event,\u201d FSU Digital Media Production (DMP) major and film fest award-winner Andrew Moore said to the FSView. \u201cAquila is unique [in comparison to the Tallahassee Film Festival] in how it\u2019s more FSU-based and purely student-driven. It\u2019s made by students for students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Full Circle Film Fest is an opportunity for young filmmakers<\/h2>\n

After seeing Aquila’s screenplay contest on her friends’ Instagrams and recognizing her lack of familiarity with acting, FSU theater major Makayla Whelchel opted to write.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cI had written a play earlier this year, and I was like, \u2018Why not a screenplay?’ I submitted it to the festival, and I wasn’t sure what would happen, and then they chose mine to produce, and it was the coolest, most interesting experience ever,” Whelchel said to the FSView.<\/p>\n

Whelchel\u2019s short film \u201cBeginning\u201d explores a budding college romance formed around a shared love of chess. Largely taking place at a two-person table on the path between Florida State\u2019s HCB and Bellamy buildings, the sentimental film is sure to charm the hearts of Tallahassee\u2019s most romantic students.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

DMP major Tristan Artiles crafted the Aquila-produced film “That’s a Good One, Chad!”, which was an unmissable standout within the festival\u2019s program for its bold personification of generative AI.<\/p>\n

More: <\/strong>How FSU is navigating the use of generative AI in the classroom<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

“That’s a Good One, Chad!” depicts a pale, robotic man with a garish smile who incessantly requests water bottles from a nearby pizza shop; he becomes frustrated when he is eventually denied service. The film characterizes generative AI and ChatGPT (the water thief is quite aptly named Chad Gi Peti) as shallow impersonators of humans and thieves of Earth\u2019s natural resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\u201c[Aquila Entertainment] was very helpful and easy to work with on the short film. They are such a talented and passionate group of people, and it was refreshing to have a big group of people to lean on and delegate responsibilities,\u201d Artiles said to the FSView. \u201cI feel like Aquila has really solidified its position in student filmmaking with their festivals and meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another film in the program that openly critiques the spread of generative AI is \u201cRebooting.\u201d The film follows a man who finds solace communicating with an AI chatbot in the wake of his daughter\u2019s passing. When the AI bot naturally fails, the man loses his sanity, fearing he has lost contact with the artificial replacement for his daughter.<\/p>\n

More: <\/strong>FSU athletics partners with AI company to enhance storytelling<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

These two films\u2019 open criticism of generative AI and its shallowness relative to humanity’s capabilities coincides poetically with the festival\u2019s ultimate mission of giving student filmmakers a place to screen their man-made films.<\/p>\n\n

Audience members crown top films<\/h2>\n

The Full Circle Film Fest ended with an opportunity for audience members to vote for their favorite films by category. Films produced by Aquila Entertainment were barred from consideration due to their institutional advantage. There were three technical awards presented: \u201cTan Man Returns<\/a>” by Chris Lopez, an Aquila Entertainment board member, won Best Editing; \u201cEl Rey De Pifo” by Santiago Salazar won Best Cinematography; and \u201cRebooting\u201d won Best Writing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Moore\u2019s cocaine-fueled \u201cSudden Death<\/a>\u201d was the festival\u2019s big winner, taking home the top prize of Audience Choice Award and Best Lead Performance for actor John Myers. Audiences might recognize the famed Tallahassee film destination, Cap City Video Lounge, as the film\u2019s location \u2014 which is ironic considering the short takes place on a tense film set.\u00a0<\/p>\n

More: <\/strong>‘Boomtown!’ blows the audience away at Cap City Video Lounge<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Moore’s short film is a testament to the small but powerful Tallahassee filmmaking community, as many of the festival attendees worked on \u201cSudden Death,\u201d including Lopez.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt didn’t feel like it was only for DMP kids or film school kids, it was for everyone,\u201d Moore said to the FSView. \u201cAnyone could realistically do what I did; it just takes the passion and determination to network and dedicate to a project. Creative people and filmmaking communities are everywhere; you just need to look under a couple of rocks to find them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The laughter, cheering, and clapping that ricocheted through the audience during and after each film are proof of Tallahassee\u2019s supportive indie film community.<\/p>\n\n

This year\u2019s Full Circle Film Fest allowed audience members to celebrate independent student filmmaking with a varied selection of impassioned shorts. The crossing-over of faces and names between all twelve films underscores the fervent collaboration at the heart of Tallahassee\u2019s student filmmaking community.<\/p>\n

Grace Myatt and Hayden Milanovich are Staff Writers for the FSView & Florida Flambeau, the student-run, independent online news service for the FSU community. Email our staff at\u2002<\/em>contact@fsview.com<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n