Four students from the College for Creative Studies, Dean Dennel, Alex Grossfeld, Martin Thoburn, and Matthew Pritchard, will receive a boost in recognition with screenings of short films entered into the Ann Arbor Film Festival next week. The students submitted a variety of unique experimental films, which add to the eclectic nature of the program. Thedetroiter.com takes a look at the films and the filmmakers behind CCS’s contribution to this year’s festival.

Dean Denell, Mort

Dean Denell’s animated short is entitled Mort and shows a day in the life of the title character. “Mort is basically a lifeless character that is stuck in a daily ritual and floats through the transitions of each part of his day,” explains Denell. “Because he is practically a dead character, I thought ‘Mort’ would be a suiting name and title for the piece.” Throughout the film, Mort’s face is plastered with a grotesque grin as he goes about his mechanical, narcissistic routine, set to a bizarre soundtrack. The result is humorous, but also a little biting. “At the time I can remember being somewhat terrified of living a life like Mort,” says Denell about how the feeling he wished to convey.

Alex Grossfeld, When I Went to Europe

When I Went to Europe, Alex Grossfeld’s contribution, came from a simple desire to record a trip to England and Switzerland and to experiment at the same time. “I just wanted to document my trip using a medium I never worked with before,” he says of his film, which he shot in the old Super8 format when he wasn’t working on his job with a freelance documentary producer. “I went and got 8 cartridges of Super8 film, equivalent to about 27 min of footage, and shot them all.” He adds, “I just hoped that the footage would come out.” The result is a grainy, dreamlike sequence with hints of the weirdness of Grossfeld’s heroes, Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry.

Martin Thoburn, MATES

Martin Thoburn’s MATES is a music video for the song of the same name by the experimental artist Simonnewcomb, and is as abstract as its namesake. “The video was made by generating a live feedback loop using a digital still camera, VCR and a TV,” explains Thoburn from Germany, where he currently works for Adidas. “The inspiration for the video came from the song itself. Simonnewcomb uses two guitar loop pedals as his main mechanism for creating his music. It was the process of having a degrading looping sound that inspired me to try something similar with video.” Simonnewcomb approached Thoburn to do the video for his upcoming CD release. “My main goal was to create a visual experience that enhanced the music. Since the music is very experimental and non-conventional in the methodologies used, the video appropriately was made in a similar fashion,” he explains. “I am honored to be screened at a festival that not only supports the avant-garde and experimental, but also is located in my home town of Ann Arbor.”

Matthew Pritchard, Absolute

Matthew Pritchard’s film Absolute alarmingly depicts a woman struggling to free herself from underwater suffocation, over and over. It reflects the metaphorical suffocation the filmmaker was feeling when he came up with the idea. “It was inspired by my own work, the rut I was in at the time,” he explains. “I was in an experimental video class where we had to do a new film every week. Because of this, my stuff was starting to look the same. They all had to do with water.” To get past this rut, Pritchard knew the only thing he could do was face it head on. But he wasn’t alone. “The actress actually had a fear of water,” he says. “Coupled with this, she was legitimately afraid that she would knock over the $2,000 camera if she panicked, or the lights would fall and electrocute her. I think the fear and anxiety comes through, and we both got it out of our systems.” Pritchard hopes to use the momentum gained by the film festival to continue to shed light on video in Michigan. “The Film Festival is really trying to push us little guys and give us the attention we want,” he says, admiring the Festival’s ability to raise the money to put on the show this year, despite hardships. “I’m honored to be a part of it, because the attitude from the Festival was that they were honored to be able to use our films.”

Dean Denell’s film Mort screens in the ‘All That Is Animated’ program on Friday the 28th at 5:30 PM. Alex Grossfeld’s When I Went to Europe, Matthew Pritchard’s Absolute, and Martin Thoburn’s MATES will screen in the ‘Made By Michigan’ program on Sunday the 30th at 3 PM.

The Ann Arbor Film Festival is now in its 46th year and runs March 25-30. For more information, check out the Festival online at http://46th.aafilmfest.org/