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Published: May 2007
Golden eagle statuettes. Celebrity presenters mouthing lame jokes visited upon them by anonymous student writers. Prof. Michael Civille’s (completely memorized) and (almost entirely) funny monologue. Thirteen live variations on “For Boston.” All the popcorn and Jujubes you can eat. Students dressed from the bins of Allston’s most distinguished second-hand clothiers. Respectful bows to Mom and Dad and the Baldwin Academy from award winners. And the first ever “Baldwin Lifetime Achievement Award,” made to a student whose work was nominated by the judges for 11 Baldwins over the past three years, but who didn’t win any. It’s all here in this live (on tape) presentation from the Heights Room of the Third Annual Baldwin Awards, an altogether serious program that honors student filmmaking at Boston College.
Sponsored by @BC, Boston College Magazine, the film studies program, and the communication department, the annual Baldwin video competition is open to the work of all undergraduate students, and makes awards in 13 categories, including Documentary, Screenwriting, Cinematography, and Best Picture. A panel of faculty and @BC staff members do the judging in these categories, while students, who are able to watch the nominated work on the Boston College website, vote online for the Viewer’s Choice Award. More than 100 student films were entered into the Baldwin competition this year, and the award ceremony took place on March 30, before a crowd of nominees, their friends, parents, and faculty.
“People get to see what our students can do, thanks to the Baldwins,” says professor William Stanwood of the communication department. Civille, a film studies faculty member, cites popular television programs and production companies, including Miramax. HBO, and Scott Rudin Productions, in which alumni are making their mark. He says a collaborative approach to the craft is a strength of the University’s program. Nelliana Kuh, who won four Baldwins this year seemed to reflect those observations in her remarks: “You have to be humbled by all the great talent that people have here. Teamwork—I couldn’t have made any of these films without a lot of help from my friends.”
