Film Farm breeds student films

Looking for a movie to go to this weekend but aren't exactly thrilled with the prospect of seeing "Titanic" for the fifth time? If so, M-Flicks has the solution for your problem: Film Farm II, the follow-up to the wildly popular Film Farm from this past winter.

PREVIEW
	Film Farm II Today at Nat. Sci. beginning at 8 p.m.

Film Farm II consists of 13 short films varying from three to 17 minutes in length. One of its main attractions is that, unlike many other festivals, any student is allowed to submit their work. "We believe in the idea of having an outlet that's open to anyone," said Farm co-chair and engineering junior Shahaf Abileah.

The works featured in "Film Farm II" range from a parody of "The Real World" to a story of three students who are determined to take over Ann Arbor's punk rock scene.

LSA senior Adeel Ahmad, the co-president of M-Flicks and co-chair for Film Farm gets into the movie- making act with "Marvin's Day Out," a story about a stuffed hippopotamus that goes to the city for the first time.

Courtesy of Film Farm M-Flicks representatives take a moment to celebrate the first Film Farm. The second Film Farm will be tonight at the Nat. Sci. auditorium.

The title of LSA sophomore Oliver Thornton's "I Touched Her Thigh and Death Smiled" is taken from a line of poetry by rocker Jim Morrison. The film is a remake of a movie that Thornton did for his German class while in high school and was shot during this past winter break. The plot of this entry is about the interactions between a man and Death. The man is informed by Death that he will have four messengers who will let him know before he is going to die. He takes this to mean he can avoid death four times and the inevitable consequences will follow.

LSA first-year student Mark Marabate's contribution to the farm is a preview for his upcoming full-length feature, "Floor 29." Attendees of Film Farm will see a three-minute sneak peek of what will turn out to be a 90-minute film scheduled to be released this fall. Marabate calls the film, which takes place primarily at Alice Lloyd Residence Hall, a cross between "Die Hard" and "The Naked Gun." It focuses on terrorists who take over the dormitory and keep students hostage in the cafeteria. The terrorists then subject the students to horrible punishments such as making them eat the cafeteria food. Sounds vicious.

The second film farm will have a similar format to the first one except for one major difference. The inaugural festival included "Baby Seal," a 25-minute short film. Instead of one longer film, the organizers have decided to screen four cartoons, including "Bugs Bunny" and "Marvin The Martian." "We decided to go with cartoons as a change of pace," Abileah said. "This season we haven't done any cartoons and we try to throw in some variety."

Those attending Film Farm II will have the opportunity to vote on the awards given out to the filmmakers in the following categories: "Most Original Piece," "Best Story/Screenplay," "Best Cinematography," and "Best of the Festival."

If the second coming of Film Farm is anything like its predecessor, movie fans will be in for an exciting show and an enjoyable break from the typical Hollywood fare.

Tickets are $2, and more information about Film Farm II and other M-Flicks can be found at http://www.umich.edu/~uac/m-flicks.

04-03-98