CONGRATULATIONS to Toledo School for the Arts Senior, Zoë Kuehn! Her surreal film, Severance has been chosen as one of the official selections for four film festivals including: All American High School Film Festival in Times Square (New York City), KinoDrome: International Motion Picture & Screenplay Festival in Cleveland, Independent Talents International Film Festival in Indiana, and Reel 2 Reel Student Film Festival in North Carolina.
Two of the festivals have already taken place. The Independent Talents International Film Festival and the Reel 2 Reel Student Film Festival both were held in November 2018. Zoë was not in attendance for these film festivals.
Kinodrome: An International Motion Picture & Screenwriting Festival showcases the most original independently produced and student produced short form film content. Zoë plans on attending the festival which takes place on Saturday, September 21, 2019.
According to their website, the All-American High School Film Festival (AAHSFF) “mission is to provide immersive education with a profound impact, connecting the filmmakers of the future with the rewards, respect and recognition they deserve.” AAHSFF takes place October 11-13th and Zoë will be in attendance.
“My film Severance actually had a message behind every single shot I made. The overall message of the film was about a really rough year I had in my life due to a person that I cut out of my life for the better. The film was supposed to simulate what it is like to not be able to recognize someone that I used to associate with. In other words, it shows what it feels like to go through a period of dissociation. Almost every single shot had an item such as a camera, phone, frog, fire, ear or a thumb screw to symbolize items that reminded me of the worst memories and days I spent with this person. Even the scattered letters in the video spelled out something they have said to me or what I wish this person would do. Most of my surrealistic elements were metaphorical, so unless the viewer is me, they won’t understand the meaning behind the items. I also included a lot of double exposure effects to project a strangeness in the memories I have of certain days that were not usual or common. The fog effects in the shot with the bloody shirt and cologne also show that the image does not quite seem real. Overall, I feel as if the unpredictable elements of my video are what caused it to seem very surreal.” Zoë said of her film.
Zoë will be documenting her journey to these festivals. Keep an eye out for her upcoming vlog about her experiences!
