Lights, Camera, NYIT Animation and Film Festival

Attend a free festival open to the public on May 11, 6-8:30 p.m. at NYIT Auditorium on Broadway in Manhattan. Enjoy short films, 3-D animations, music videos, and motion graphics submitted by NYIT students and faculty members across five campuses. You'll see superhero girls, mushroom monsters, and ravenous aliens in some of the creations slated for the festival co-hosted by the departments of Communication Arts and Fine Arts.

"Making a short film is a lot like surgery," says Assia Lakhlif, adjunct instructor of film production in the Department of Communication Arts, who helps to plan the festival. "There are so many parts, and you have to be a perfectionist in each one, from the story idea and writing, to casting and shooting, to the editing and delivery of your film."

Lakhlif works closely with Yuko Oda, associate professor of fine arts, to collect submissions ahead of the festival. A panel of judges, including film and animation professionals, will review the submissions and award cash prizes to winners in several categories.

"We advanced our fine arts curriculum two years ago and now see the benefits of our changes in the higher caliber of films and animations submitted by NYIT students," says Oda. "Some of the works by our faculty members based in New York and China were also featured in other festivals and international film screenings."