Are you ready to go to the movies? Are you ready to witness what your classmates are capable of? If the answer is yes you are in for a treat. Next month is the 8th Annual University of Guam Film Festival.

Last year was the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic that the film festival took place in front of a full crowd. The theme was “One Step Forward”, as in moving forward from the pandemic that almost stopped the world from operating at a normal pace. This year, the film festival will be taking place at the University of Guam inside the lecture hall. The 8th annual UOG Film Festival will be taking place on campus for the first time in four years.

This year’s class that is coordinating the event has double the amount of students as last year’s class. Reese Meno, a communications major who is taking part in coordinating the film festival explained how her and her classmates are preparing for this event. “With a bigger class this year we’ve been able to set a task list and divide various tasks into different committees such as decorating and sponsorships”. The students work diligently to ensure the film festival is a success for not only themselves, but for all the filmmakers and the people who plan to attend. 

This year’s film festival will be different according to Tatiana Ananich, another communications major who is taking part in coordinating the event. She states, “Two major differences are the venue and lesser restrictions, and because the Covid-19 pandemic isn’t as much of a threat as it was last year our guests won’t have to abide by as many rules and regulations”. The last film festival happened during a time when masks were still required and the amount of people at indoor events were limited. Almost a week before last year’s film festival, the governor lifted mask restrictions as well as the limited number of people allowed at indoor events, conflicting with the coordinating of the 2022 UOG Film Festival.

Of course there will be a few challenges along the way as coordinating events can always have its difficulties. “Overall I think time is our biggest challenge. Planning is essential, because we have to take into consideration film time, getting in touch with speakers, reaching out to sponsors, and working together to make sure everything comes together the day of”, says Meno. Although the film festival coordinates have their challenges, the sky is truly the limit because the students as well as the filmmakers are extremely talented. 

Overall, this year’s Film Festival will be one for the ages. The coordinators and filmmakers have been working day in and day out to ensure that this will be one of the most exciting events at UOG. This will be a festival you do not want to miss out on. Don’t forget to mark your calendar for May 5th. Before you celebrate Cinco de Mayo, come to the University of Guam Film Festival and watch some amazing films displayed by the students at UOG. For more information, follow @uogfilmfestival on Instagram for details about the upcoming event.