Montgomery College’s Art Institute Visual and Performing Arts Department hosted the MC Short Film Festival from Nov. 19 to 22 at the Cultural Arts Center on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus.

The 90-minute screening, curated by award-winning film producer, director, and DC Shorts founder Jon Gann, showcased short films by local and international filmmakers. Films covered several genres, from comedy, like “The Job,” to romance, like “The Barron.“

After the Nov. 21 screening, local filmmakers Mark Ricche, Kerri Sheehan, Alyscia Cunningham, and Jon Gann participated in a panel discussion with the film viewers. The filmmakers were asked what makes a film great.

“Humanity. Think about the Marvel movies. Think about Avengers, all the way to Endgame. How did they end that series?” said Ricche, award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter, and director. “The directors made it human. I cried!”

Filmmakers continued to share their hardest and proudest moments from filmmaking while sharing their thoughts on artificial intelligence and films.

“I can’t see myself using AI to replace an actor. I love being hands-on with people and having conversations,” Cunningham said.

Film professor Graham Holford facilitated the panel discussion. Holford suggested that short-film festivals like MC Shorts are beneficial to all students, not just film majors.

“If you are a person interested in art, but not necessarily a filmmaker, indulging in lots of different films is going to help your practice,” Holford said. “It’s going to help your craft.”

Holford advised aspiring filmmakers to continue watching more films to better understand storytelling.

Both film and non-film majors shared their thoughts on the festival.

Business major Serenity Charlery said, “Festivals like this are really interesting because filmmakers are able to be very creative.”

Film major Clay Rummer shared his memorable part of the festival, which was the panel.

“I loved hearing filmmakers with their journey of how they got into it, and what they started focusing on and what changed,” he said.

He also shared his favorite film from the festival, “Friday Night Blind.”

“I liked ‘Friday Night Blind,’ the documentary with the blind women the most. I feel I connected with each of the characters for different reasons,” Rummer said.

Holford encouraged students to attend future film festivals for more diverse storytelling.

He said, “Film festivals can be a great way to share your films, put them on the big screen, and see how people react to them, and it makes you a better filmmaker.”

For more information on the Visual and Performing Arts Department, visit the department’s website. To stay up-to-date on upcoming events at the Cultural Arts Center, visit the Cultural Arts Center events list. Free tickets for MC students may be available for certain events.