LAFS Alumni Win at 21st Savannah Film Festival
Photo Credit: SCAD Savannah Film Festival Facebook Page
Two LAFS alumni experience first big festival win for their film, Other Side of the Box
The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) hosted its 21st SCAD Savannah Film Festival during Halloween this year. The festival is revered by indie-filmmakers and celebrities alike who flock to the Deep South for this eight-day film celebration in the historic city of Savannah, Georgia.
According to SCAD, 27 awards were announced from the 105 films that competed in the categories of narrative features, documentary features, professional shorts, animated shorts, and student shorts selections. Among the filmmakers and celebrities, were two of our own L.A.film school graduates, Nick Coppola (Film program 2014) and Caleb J. Phillips (Film program 2014) who won “Best Bump in the Night” for their suspenseful short film, Other Side of the Box.
“Winning an award alongside some of my favorite movie stars? Yes, please!” Nick exclaimed. “Eventually, all those long classroom hours will pay off, and it will (hopefully) go beyond your wildest dreams.” In fitting with Halloween, Caleb and Nick set out to create a low-budget thriller à la BlumHouse. The short focuses on a couple who receive a mysterious box from an old friend, and as you can imagine, the story settles into its bump-in-the-night plot leaving festival-goers uneasy by the credits.
Nick says his time spent as a script reader for an Oscar-nominated producer helped him learn how to filter through potential buzzworthy screenplays. The filmmaking duo hopes to inspire current L.A. Film School students to pursue their films with intention. “The sky is the limit and anything is possible with cinema,” said Nick.
Photo Credit: SCAD Savannah Film Festival featuring Caleb Phillips
Photo Credit: SCAD Savannah Film Festival featuring Nick Coppola
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