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University of New Brunswick students, staff and faculty had a strong showing at the 17th Annual Silver Wave Film Festival.

Two of the three films nominated for Best New Brunswick Short Drama or Comedy were from UNB alumni or faculty, while other films received multiple nominations.

UNB Saint John bachelor of arts alumna Tracey Lavigne premiered her first film to great acclaim. Ms. Lavigne’s Glitter won Best NB Short Drama or Comedy and awards for screenwriting and picture editing along with several other nominations. It finished the weekend by winning the Viewer’s Choice Award.

Media arts & culture alumna Ashley Phinney was nominated for Excellence in Cinematography in a NB Short Film for her work on Glitter, and one of the film’s producers is another UNB alumna, Annick Blizzard. Ms. Blizzard also helped produce Cabby, which won Best Horror/Sci-Fi Short.

The festival, organized by the New Brunswick Filmmakers’ Co-operative, ran from Nov. 2 to Nov. 5, 2017, with screenings at different locations across the city, including the Charlotte Street Arts Centre,Tilley Hall on the UNB campus, and the Fredericton Boyce Farmers’ Market.

Also receiving accolades for UNB include:

Dr. Robert Gray, professor, department of English, premiered his new short film My Husband’s Jump, adapted from Newfoundland writer Jessica Grant’s Journey Prize-winning short story by English master of arts graduate Brittany Lauton. The film was co-produced by English and education alumnus Jon Dewar and Dr. Matt Rogers, an assistant professor in the faculty of education. The film won awards for Excellence in Art Direction in a NB Short Film, Excellence in Music Composition in a NB Short Film and Excellence in Cinematography in a NB Short Film, which went to Dr. Rogers. It was nominated for the Excellence in Picture Editing in a NB Short Film award, Outstanding Performance by a NB Supporting Actress in a Short Drama or Comedy and Best NB Short Drama or Comedy;

Kaitlyn Adair, bachelor of nursing alumna, captured the Jane LeBlanc Filmmaker Award for her project March 2.4;

Business administration alumnus Gordon Mihan premiered his new short film Coached, co-written with arts alumnus Thomas Wilson. The film offers an existential reflection on recreational hockey’s early morning practices and was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a NB Actor in a Short Drama or Comedy, Excellence in Sound Design in a NB Short Film, the Lex Gigeroff Excellence in Screenwriting in a NB Short Drama or Comedy and Best NB Short Drama or Comedy;

Media arts & culture alumnus Ryan O’Toole premiered his deft exploration of modern life and isolation in his short film A Ways Away, in which “an ex-socialite couple hide in a suburban mansion, avoiding the city, their old life and an unspecified threat.” It was nominated for the Excellence in Picture Editing in a NB Short Film.

The award-winning Fredericton High School student film Sticks and Stones, produced in bachelor of arts and masters in education alumna Amy Bourgaize’s English class, as part of professor Matt Rogers’ What’s Up Doc program, also had its festival premiere and was nominated for Best Student Short.

A number of students from UNB’s media arts & cultures program screened films to the festival, including Ty Giffin’s Roles, Carlee Calver’s The Pub, Kelly Soong’s What We Hide, Mackenzie Keirstead’s Help and In the Moment, produced by students in UNB professor Tony Merzetti’s film class.

Bachelor of philosophy in interdisciplinary leadership alumna Julie Frigault, bachelor of arts alumna Camille Coulombe, PhD candidate Lisa Jodoin, certificate in film production alumnus Rich MacQueen, former student Geordie Joseph and and bachelor of arts alumnus Benjamin Hayward also showcased films at the festival.

Students from UNB’s faculty of arts and Renaissance College – who worked as assistants for Dr. Gray and Dr. Rogers last summer – presented and contributed to the editing of Rogers’ short documentary Pay with a Poem, which premiered at the festival.

Media contact: Hilary Creamer Robinson

Photo: Standing, left to right: Matt Rogers (Excellence in Cinematography Award Winner for My Husband's Jump); Nick Wilson (2017 Professional Film Recognition Award); Jon Dewar (Excellence in Picture Editing nomination for My Husband's Jump); Robert Gray (Best NB Short Drama nomination for My Husband's Jump), Sitting, left to right: Arianna Martinez (Excellence in Art Direction Award Winner with Michelle Rogers for My Husband's Jump; Christian David Bérubé (Excellence in Music Composition Award Winner in My Husband's Jump). Photo credit: Stephen MacGillivray Photography & Video