Student work to be showcased at Bellingham Music Film Festival this weekend
The Bellingham Music Film Festival will screen Western Washington University student Conor O’Keefe’s music video for the song “Confusement" by local band Bob Fossil during the opening night event at Make.Shift Art Space from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, April 1. O'Keefe is a Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies student at Western and is the KVIK assistant coordinator. The festival’s opening ceremony will feature music videos from around the globe and live music by Scarlet Locomotive and Momo Grace. This night is free to the public with admission donations encouraged and the evening’s bar proceeds benefiting local video store non-profit Film is Truth.
The festival is also screening student Zach Becker's music video "Blacklight," winner of the "Best in Show" award for student music videos. Becker is a BFA student in the Department of Design and the lead graphic designer in the Associated Students Publicity Center. His music video will screen at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Pickford Film Center during the Best in Show showcase, which will also include music by Bar Tabac, an awards ceremony and a Q&A with the director of the Judge’s Choice film, "Desert Age." Admission is $5 at the door for students.
Becker, alongside other design students Erica Kutz and Jason Olsen, will have interactive music videos playing in the lobby of the Pickford at 8:30 p.m. Saturday before the feature film, "Big Gold Dream." The students will be present to answer questions about the production. These interactive videos were created in a digital video elective course taught in the Department of Design in 2015. Admission to experience these interactive videos in the lobby is free.
BMFF has been a labor of love by festival director Kacey Morrow, an associate professor in the Department of Design at Western. Morrow has been a board member for Make.Shift Art Space for the past few years and saw the potential to bring Make.Shift and the community’s love for art and music come together through a local-meets-international music-inspired film festival.
The festival will be held April 1 to 3 at the Pickford Film Center and Make.Shift Art Space in the Arts District in downtown Bellingham. BMFF is a celebration of music through the medium of film, with selected films screenings to include music videos, shorts and feature length documentaries and narratives. The festival will provide a space for the community, filmmakers and music lovers to enjoy curated films and music, network, and win awards, all while supporting local non-profits organizations.
