Witherspoon Student Cinema was the setting this Sunday for the finale of the N.C. State Campus MovieFest. Student filmmakers from across campus came together to see which sixteen films were considered this year’s best, as well as to find out who would take home the prize for Best Comedy, Best Drama and Best Picture.

Campus MovieFest celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. For the past decade, they have provided students on college campuses the necessary equipment to make a five-minute short film. This is the third time the competition has come to the University, and it was the biggest turnout yet.

With just an HD camera and a Mac installed with Final Cut Studio, 119 student teams had one week to make their films. The sixteen films aired last night were deemed the best of the bunch.

The quality of the films was reflected by the lavish set-up in the Witherspoon lobby. A red carpet was rolled out at the entrance, and there was a display where students could see themselves on a 3D television screen. The student filmmakers were similarly pulled into the spirit, as many of the teams arrived in suits and dresses.

Aaron Daeke, a freshman in general engineering and team leader on the film The End of Facebook, said the enthusiasm for the event comes from the enjoyment of the process.

“I think everyone should enter Campus MovieFest,” Daeke said, “even if they have never made a video or movie before. The whole experience of making a movie in a week is so much fun.”

Once the show got under way, a wide variety of genres were represented. Comedies, dramas, documentaries and even horror films were all screened, and the response from students was positive all around.

Ann Daykin, promotions manager for Campus MovieFest, said the variety of the movies screened can be attributed to the judges selected for the event.

“At each event, we make sure we get an eclectic group [of judges], so that all different tastes are accounted for,” Daykin said. “Then, the judges will look at factors such as the production value and storyline of a film to make their final decisions.”

The films were aired in four blocks, with intermissions used to hand out door prizes and thank the various sponsors of the event. The films all provided different levels of entertainment, and each managed to rise above the time and budget constraints of the project.

The comedy So We’ve Got a Guy… (winner of the most popular category on the Campus MovieFest website) highlighted the difficulties of making a film in such a short amount of time. Meanwhile, documentary films like Stamps and Wake Up! It’s Serious used local stories of hardship to highlight national issues of topics such as living on food stamps and discrimination.

After the screening of the top sixteen films, a highlight reel was played, showing some of the best moments from the entries that were unable to be screened. The highlights showcased the rest of the talent here at the University. All of the films, whether they were screened or not, are viewable at the Campus MovieFest website.

As the night ended, it came time to announce the winners in the top five categories. The winners of the three best film awards will move on to the international grand finale competition, held in Hollywood this June.

Best actress went to Rhonda Bennetone, for her performance in Damn the Clock, a drama about an overworked woman who yearns for a world without time. Best actor, meanwhile, went to Charlie Allen, the star of The Revolutionary. In a story of a dystopian future for America, Allen’s performance provided the driving force for the entire film.

Allen said he was surprised to win the award.

“I was speechless,” Allen said. “I’ve never won anything like this before, so I’m absolutely honored to have done so.”

Panda Bear Affair, a movie about the life of a street advertiser wearing a panda costume, took home best comedy. The film successfully merged kung-fu moves with a quirky romance, and was also a favorite among the audience.

Ginny Lam, a graduate in learning studies and co-director of Panda Bear Affair, said the film came from the group’s shared interest in kung fu.

“We all practice kung-fu together,” Lam said, “and we were all fans of Kung Fu Panda. It was a theme we were all passionate about, and we wanted to bring that into real life and give it a twist.”

For best drama, the award went to Walkman. A film without any dialogue, Walkman was about a man walking the streets of Raleigh, trying to find a way home.

Josh Bielick, a junior in business management and photographer for Student Media, was the director of Walkman. He said he wanted to showcase his experience in traveling around Raleigh.

“It was very much a visual feature, because I wanted to feature Raleigh, and tell a story from the perspective of just walking around the city,” Bielick said.

The last award given was best picture, and the award went to The Revolutionary. The film’s win was well received by the audience, who cheered loudly as the production team took the stage.

Judging based on the turnout in Witherspoon, this year’s Campus MovieFest was a huge success, drawing crowds of N.C. State students who cheered their fellow classmates to victory. To follow this year’s winners as they enter the next stage of the competition, check out www.campusmoviefest.com.