For as long as she can remember, history, philosophy, and sociology of science senior Elizabeth DeCesare has been captivated by movies and the process behind creating great films and productions.
After dedicating countless hours to the production of her first professional film “Unplugged” over the summer, DeCesare’s name was among the list of independent film directors recognized and celebrated for their work at the 17th Annual East Lansing Film Festival.
“I am honored,” DeCesare said. “Being a part of that movie-building experience and having someone watch your film and find some meaning out of it is great.”
While collaborating with three other MSU students in her Lyman Briggs College 492 course and submitting the film to the East Lansing Film Festival as part of the class requirements, the short documentary “Unplugged” was screened in the festival’s student film program on Nov. 2 in Wells Hall along with six other student-produced films.
“Unplugged” documents the experiences of the four MSU students that produced the film during their dedication to a 15-day experiment in which they disconnected themselves from all forms of social media, including the use of text messaging.
“Obviously social media is a huge part of our lives, but to let it take over our lives is where we have conflict,” DeCesare said.
By organizing clips from the daily vlogs that each student used to track their thoughts and feelings throughout the duration of the experiment, she said the documentary is able to fully address this dependence on the use of social media and technology while inspiring others to accept this challenge of “unplugging.”
“This is a great opportunity to give students ... this leg up in the East Lansing community,” she said. “It’s so exciting that our student film was chosen and that they thought it was a new and upcoming topic that people would be interested in.”
Another MSU student being recognized in Michigan’s largest and second-oldest film festival is media and information senior Syazana Amirulmokminin.
“I’ve always been interested in photography, but I don’t like taking still pictures,” Amirulmokminin said. “I wanted to do something more dynamic, I guess.”
Creating the project entirely by herself, Amirulmokminin’s short documentary “The New Generation” highlights how cultural and societal factors influence the way in which Asian-Americans identify themselves. After moving to the U.S. from her hometown in Singapore at the age of 10, she said witnessing how race and ethnicity have an impact on interaction inspired the topic of her film.
“It’s really weird for me because I have not been doing this for a long time,” she said. “All of this kind of just fell into my lap.”
With new plans to pursue a career in the film industry, Amirulmokminin said she hopes having her first documentary featured in the festival will act as a stepping stone to more experiences.
“For me, it’s just about getting a feel for what the industry is like, specifically what the culture of these film festivals is like,” she said. “It feels awesome and overwhelming, but this opportunity inspires me to improve.”
