For anyone who happened to miss the 2007 Notre Dame Student Film Festival: I hate to tell you, but you missed an amazing show. This was my first year attending the film festival and I was truly impressed with the quality and creativity of the 13 student productions.
My sincere complements and congratulations to the student directors, actors, production teams and professors for the pleasant mix of great humor, captivating dramas, insightful documentaries and provocatively challenging student productions. Thanks to the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center for showing the films. My hats off to all for the countless hours of hard work that definitely shined through in these short films. These film projects are a great testament to the students and the Film, Television and Theatre program here on campus.
With all the talk at Notre Dame in recent years about "Catholic identity," I wonder if there might be a way to truly inspire such student talent and amazing creativity to share the beauty, blessings and spirit of our Catholic faith. Now don't get me wrong, but I loved the 2007 student productions. I am especially grateful for the thought-provoking discussions I have been deeply engaged in thanks to the provocative, challenging, and entertaining student films.
As Notre Dame continues to promote openness to a multiplicity of opinions, diversity, student creativity, dialogue and academic achievement, I hope that we can also find respectful ways to authentically and creatively share our Catholic faith as well. I would love to find a way to inspire these talented and gifted students to share our Catholic faith in a way that more authentically speaks to college student today. How can we support and encourage these inspiring directors, actors and artists to seek out our Catholic faith and creatively express the beauty and mystery of faith for example through films on the life and faith of our NDMDI partners in Uganda, of student volunteer work, of Notre Dame peace and justice efforts to bring about the reign of God, of faith-filled stories of hope or joy-filled experiences of God's love in the reality of our lives today.
The Notre Dame FTT students, with their amazing gifts and talents, will find their own unique, awe- inspiring and creative ways to express and celebrate the mystery of God working in our lives and the richness of our Catholic identity. And Notre Dame can likewise find authentic ways to continue to support these student productions while more actively encouraging creative expression of faith.
Marty Roers
graduate student
off campus
Jan. 28
