By Ester Khachatryan
Romina DâAlessandro â10 and Jake Gutman â10 were selected by Film Festival faculty advisers to direct the 2010 Harvard-Westlake Film Festival.
DâAlessandro and Gutman were two of six students submit applications for positions as Film Festival directors.
Faculty advisers Cheri Gaulke and Ted Walch choose the two directors after reviewing applications and after conducting interviews with all the prospective candidates.
“It is our policy to select a male and female director if possible,” Gaulke said.
The most important contribution made by the directors will be to expand the Festival, Gaulke said.
The Festival has seen significant changes since its inceptionsix years ago. From originally being held in Rugby Theater, to relocating to the Arclight Theater last year and finally moving to the larger Cinerama Dome this year.
“We would like to explore partnerships with possible companies and other festivals or film academies as we would like the festival to be a stepping stone into the greater film community,” Gutman said.
Gutman is planning to institute changes in the judging process, to expand the festival into a year-round event and to encourage more young women filmmakers to participate and submit videos in the festival.
“Iâd like to have the filmmakers interact with each other as well as with the speaker and the organizers,” DâAlessandro said.
In conjunction with Gaulke and Walch, DâAlessandro and Gutman will take on the responsibilities of coordinating, developing and producing the annual film festival from its initial planning stages to beyond the eventâs completion.
As part of their job description the directors will publicize the festival, preview all submitted film entries, recruit judges and a guest speaker, and take part in the film selection process.
