BSU’s Student-Coordinated and Produced Headwaters Film Festival Set for Fourth Year

The 2016 Headwaters Film Festival, now in its fourth year, is planned, coordinated and run entirely by Bemidji State University students. Deb Sea’s MASC2330 course, Headwaters Film Festival, teaches students how to run all aspects of a small film festival’s planning and operation.

Erika-Huff-300x300Erika Huff, a junior in marketing communication from Bemidji, is this year’s festival director. She was a member of the 2015 festival staff and was encouraged to pursue the festival director position this year. She focused on the festivals’s hospitality and programming teams, but as director was called to support each of the nine student working groups that planned the event.

“Being the director I was able to experience the struggles all the groups had instead of just focusing on my own,” she said. “It’s been a little bit of a bumpy ride this year, with a lot of last minute changes. However we as a whole have done an amazing job with each bump and have created an even better experience than we had before.

“I’m so excited for the festival itself and seeing us all come together as one on event day. That will be my favorite moment.”

Huff says she’s excited to learn from the Q&A with producer Jamie Holt, and also is looking forward to the NASA CineSpace feature. She says working on the festival has given her experience that will be beneficial as she looks ahead to life after college.

“Being the director of this film festival had given me so many real life examples that I will be able to use when I go out into the work force,” she said. “The experiences from this class are priceless and cannot be taught in a classroom.”

Huff has been directing 28 other students in nine teams to plan, coordinate and execute all aspects of the festival, from marketing to logistics and hospitality. The students coordinating this year’s festival have a variety of majors beyond mass communication, including wildlife biology, geography, psychology and political science, and come from all over the country. Students working on this year’s festival come from 19 Minnesota communities, four U.S. states including Minnesota, and Canada.

The BSU students running the 2016 Headwaters Film Festival are:

  • Festival Director
    • Erika Huff, junior, marketing communication; Bemidji, Minn.
  • Development Officers
    • Shawn Campbell, junior, mass communication; Bemidji, Minn.
    • Cody Heinemann, senior, business administration; Princeton, Minn.
    • Kristina Malterud, junior, mass communication; Clearbook, Minn.
  • Graphic Design
    • Mariah Wolf, senior, art & design; Bemidji, Minn.
  •  Hospitality
    • Courtney Clark, junior, wildlife biology; Clear Lake, Wis.
    • Emily Ditsch, senior, psychology; Delano, Minn.
    • Arica Joelicoeur, junior, mass communication and creative & professional writing; Lengby, Minn.
  • Judging Management
    • Christopher Boone, senior, sociology; Raleigh, N.C.
    • Mariah Wolf, senior, art & design; Bemidji, Minn.
    • Hanna Zerr, junior, sport management; Shakopee, Minn.
  • Logistics
    • Hana Kim, senior, marketing communication; Bemidji, Minn.
    • Hailey Rhen, junior, business administration and marketing communication; Bagley, Minn.
  • Programming
    • Jessica Dalen, Master of Ceremonies; junior, mass communication; Lake Park, Minn.
    • Gerry Fitzgerald, Master of Ceremonies; junior, marketing communication; Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada
    • Leo Fitzgerald, Master of Ceremonies; junior, marketing communication; Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada
    • Talaya Kautz, Master of Ceremonies; junior, mass communication, Robbinsdale, Minn.
    • Kelsey Jacobson, scheduling; junior, mass communication; Renville, Minn.
    • Ellen Lescarbeau, scheduling; junior, mass communication; Chisholm, Minn.
    • Sabrina Okeson, scheduling; sophomore, mass communication; Thief River Falls, Minn.
  • Promotion
    • Michelle Bennett, junior, English; Bagley, Minn.
    • Hannah Cook, junior, marketing communication; International Falls, Minn.
    • Sara Titera, sophomore, art & design; Bagley, Minn.
    • Ryan Zubke, senior, business administration; Grand Rapids, Minn.
  • Social Media
    • Dylan Rouse, senior, marketing communication; Bloomington, Minn.
    • Lauren Van Den Heuvel, senior, marketing communication; Bemidji, Minn.
    • Madelyn Wachman, junior, marketing communication; Golden Valley, Minn.
  • Technical
    • Cody Booker, senior, mass communication; Nevis, Minn.
    • Kyle Priest, junior, political science and mass communication; Columbus, Ohio
    • Alexander Danielson, senior, liberal studies and geography; Bemidji, Minn.

The festival is also supported by BSU faculty and local community members. Those supporters are:

  • Deb Sea, assistant professor of mass communication; faculty advisor
  • Tammy Bobrowsky, acquisitions and serials librarian, A.C. Clark Library; faculty judge
  • Dr. Jessica Durgan, assistant professor of English; faculty judge
  • Dr. Virgil Bakken, professor of mass communication; Headwaters Film Festival founder
  • Tom Skime, Lakeland Public Television; technical team

The Headwaters Film Festival features a student film competition, a separate international film competition, a conversation with producer Jamie Holt, screenings of three winning films and two special honorees from NASA’s 2015 CineSpace competition, and screenings of major Hollywood films during two afternoons of activity on March 31 and April 1.

The Headwaters Film Festival is sponsored by Bemidji State University, the College of Business, the Hobson Memorial Union and by summer programs at the Center for Extended Learning.