To no one’s amusement, the third Sorin Reel Film Festival was undercut by unfortunate obstacles, inefficient pre-screening and poor organization.

With the recent flooding of Jones Auditorium, new organizers Jon Wayne Martin and Sarah Burkhalter had to find a place that would recreate a theater experience.  The Main Building Lawn provided a nice alternative to Jones, a large crowd assembled the night of the event, refreshments were served and the first movie was ready to be viewed.

The first movie, “Press,” directed by David Delgado, had intriguing dialogue, tangible suspense and the camera work was spot on, setting the stage for a promising festival.

Sorin Reel continued running smoothly with Scott Perry’s “Cool It.” Perry’s ability to portray simple plot lines in a fun environment was evident throughout his film.

What happened next set the tone of the night and buried it underground. It was like having your picnic ruined by ants, except the picnic was a once-successful festival and the ants were problems that could have easily been avoided.  

Technical difficulties plagued the festival. Film after film was introduced, only to skip and lag because the films had not been tested before the festival. The audience was agitated, and the tech guys were powerless.

Finally, when most technical problems were solved, we were able to see a few more movies. However, technical difficulties at any live event will kill momentum, and audience members were not shy about getting up and leaving. By the time the festival was halfway through, only half the crowd was still present—an insult and embarrassment to filmmakers and organizers alike.

Fans could have done without seeing half of the films entered into the festival. From a movie that featured a slow motion vomit scene to a montage of guys jumping off of a diving board, we were treated to a series of shorts that weren’t worth our time. “I made this movie because I have a camera and I am in college,” came to mind a lot during the screenings. 

If the festival is to meet expectations and it’s goal of creating a film major at St. Edward’s, certain measures will need to be made in order for the next festival to be successful. Martin and Burkhalter will need to screen every film at least a few days, if not more, before the festival to ensure that the films being shown are of decent quality, and most importantly, that they will work when the festival actually happens.

I am not advocating for the total exemption of expressive and unconventional films. The art scene in Austin and at St. Edward’s thrives on creativity and originality.

But original and creative films can and should be of high quality. If you are going to film your friends vomiting, make it mean something. Half a minute of self-indulgence does not constitute a worthwhile form of expression, much less a film.

Deservedly so, Matthew Benoit took home first place at the festival for the third time in a row. His film ,”Rush the Lion,” was smart, the mid- to late-80s setting believable and the characters understood exactly who they were supposed to be. Another impressive aspect? Benoit and his band wrote and performed all of the music for the movie.

Benoit displayed the sort of work ethic and dedication to the craft of filmmaking that would make a film major at St. Edward’s worthwhile. His third consecutive win should also push other filmmakers to pour more work into their films, narrowing the talent gap.

St. Edward’s should look forward to the next Sorin Reel Film Festival, because the mishaps and mistakes obvious during this festival can be avoided, and hopefully its filmmakers only improve their craft with time.