Film Festival 2023 - Industrious Family's First - Here's To Many More Years Of Celebrating Wholesome Entertainment

2023 marked the first annual Industrious Family Film Festival. This initial festival featured 10 low-budget, wholesome films made by independent filmmakers.

The event was complete with workshops and a gala dinner on the final night of the festival.

See This Festival's Printable Film Festival 2023 Program Guide!

1. Film Festival 2023 Photo Gallery

May 17, 2023

The faith-based film festival kicked off at Yurtopia where we enjoyed a cocktail/mocktail hour with the event coordinators and film directors. We served "scapulars" for the adults and mocktail "Shirley Temples" for the girls and "Roy Rogers" for the boys.  It was a relaxing evening after a long week of preparing for the festival and provided a breather moment before the bustle of the festival the following day.

May 18, 2023

We headed over to the Super 8 early on Thursday morning to set up the red carpet, the concession stand and test the technical stuff.

Doors opened to the public at 4:00 p.m. and films started playing in two rooms at 5:00 p.m.

May 19, 2023

The next day, Friday, we met again at the Super 8 at 10:00 a.m. for filmmaking workshops. 

Applying Make-up For Screen

Make-up is applied to men and women alike for films. The trick is making it subtle enough not to be noticeable to viewers but bold enough to highlight the actor's features.  Michael went over the best application and finished with a demonstration.

Speaker: Michael Bowen,
Art Dept. Industrious Family Films

Lighting

Giving the right feel with lighting will boost your cinematographic vibe in film. Becket went over the most simple lighting techniques using a key and fill. He also talked about how to reflect light to make your films even more well-lit.

Speaker: Becket Bowen,
Lighting, Industrious Family Films

Screenwriting

Without a script, you don't have a movie. Needless to say, having a strong script will greatly improve interest and quality of your films. Faustina has been writing scripts for over 6 years and shared her experiences and lessons learned about screenwriting.

Speaker: Faustina Bowen
Script Supervisor, Industrious Family Films

Acting

It's something that may seem simple to viewers, but acting is one of the most difficult jobs on the set. There is not only the difficulty of remembering lines but making it believable is thrown in the mix. Faustina went over a few techniques and things to remember when you are on set with the camera on you.

Speaker: Faustina Bowen

Directing

The most noticed people behind film (besides actors, of course) are the directors. Mary discussed the qualities that make a good director and how to foster and learn those qualities to boost the effectiveness of your directing.

Speaker: Mary Bowen,
Director, Industrious Family Films

Managing Actors And Crew Members

It doesn't matter who they are, somewhere along the line you are going to need to manage actors and crew members. Whether it's simple rules, schedules, or even behavior, Kathleen explained how to handle specific situations and people problems as well as just normal line of business management.

Speaker: Kathleen Bowen,
Producer, Industrious Family Films

Business of Theaters

There's a whole new project waiting for you after the film is all done and edited: distribution. Chris is a third generation theater owner and shared how theaters are run and what they expect when you are ready to send a film to theaters.

Speaker: Chris Wagner
Owner, Blue Fox Theater

Roundtable Critique

After lunch, we held the roundtable critique. We were able to get 5 of the directors together to review the submitted projects. The critique was structured around a praise of the film, then a suggested area to improve followed by another positive element of the film. This was surprisingly more fun than we thought that it would be.

Gala Dinner

At 5:00 p.m. we hosted a semi-formal gala dinner in the conference room at the Super 8.  At this dinner the awards were given for the movie categories. And that wrapped up our film festival 2023 celebrations.

2. Submitted Film Projects

The EDEN Project - 24.9 points, 2nd Place In Shorts

In a post-apocalyptic ice age, a girl and her father work to preserve the remaining plant life still on earth. As resources run low, the girl must face a choice: obey her father, or strikeout on her own.

Director: Aidan Jones
Screenwriter: Aidan Jones
Cast: Dellana Graeber, Aaron Rose, Josh Carlisle, Isabella Jones

Runtime: 15 min

Our Mother Elizabeth - 18.6 points, 1st Place In Full Lengths

A sweet retelling of the life of St. Elizabeth of Hungary told by St. Genesius Films including all the small episodes we've all heard about the saint's life.

Director: Hannah Petrizzi
Screenwriters: Hannah Petrizzi and Patrick Cotter
Cast: Hannah Petrizzi, Regina Petrizzi, Colette Petrizzi, Jude Petrizzi, Simon Petrizzi

Runtime: 50 min

The Devil Hates Latin - 26.1 points, 1st Place In Promotional Videos

Jim Morlino sells novel The Devil Hates Latin by Katharine Galgano in this thriller-style commercial.

Director: Jim Morlino
Based on the novel by: Katharine Galgano
Cast: Jim Morlino

Runtime: 1 min

Wrestling Highlights 2023 - 24.5 points, 1st Place In Sports Highlights

Highlighting the 2023 wrestling season, Michael Bowen has compiled the best moments in the Bowen boys' wrestling.

Editor: Michael Bowen

Runtime: 12 min

Pelayo - 26.9 points, 1st Place In Short Films

722, Spain is being invaded by the Muslim conquest. Pelayo escapes to the Asturias Mountains to contest with them. Being greatly out numbered, victory will be a miracle.

Director: Mary Bowen
Screenwriter: Faustina Bowen
Producers: Matt & Kathleen Bowen
Cast: Patrick Bowen, Michael Bowen, Faustina Bowen

Runtime: 9 min

Found Tonight - 21.9 points, 1st Place In Music Videos

A music video message to everyone who feels like their efforts to bring good to the world are under appreciated or unseen. This night will pass and our stories will be remembered.

Director: Erin Maher
Cast: Lovey Maher, Mary Maher

Runtime: 3 min

HKD At The Quest - 18 points, 2nd Place In Sports Highlights

Giving you a peek into a HKD season, this sports video highlights some of the athletics and wins from the Kamiah Martial Arts School.

Editor: Christina Miller

Runtime: 5 min

A Christmas Carol & Mini Gunner Western Short - 18 points, 2nd In Full Lengths

Ebenezer Scrooge is in for the time of his life when three Christmas ghosts come to show how his miserliness of the past, present and future have affected the people around him. Scrooge has the chance to change, but the question is, will he? Includes a bonus feature: a short western named Mini Gunner.

Director: Nicholas Vogel
Screenwriter: Nicholas Vogel
Cast: Nicholas Vogel, Raphael Vogel, Benjamin Vogel

Runtime: 60 min

The Revelation of the Ringwraiths Trailer - 24.3 points, 2nd Place In Promotional Videos

The Ringwraiths return in this Lord of the Rings sequel trailer. Will Aragorn and his companions be able to defeat them again, or will darkness again cover the earth with the rise of the Ringwraiths?

Director: Michael Osborne
Cast: Anna Osborne, Maria Osborne, Michael Osborne

Runtime: 3 min

Philomenan Productions Compilation

A fun compilation of short videos, some taking place during times of persecutions, a comedy show, and a music video adapted from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Director: Nicholas Vogel
Screenwriter: Nicholas Vogel
Cast: Nicholas Vogel, Benjamin Vogel, Raphael Vogel

Runtime: 25 min

3. Film Festival 2023 Winners And Awards

Awards were given to the best films based on cinematography, delivery, audio, storyline, editing, sets and costumes, and over-all appeal. Winners  received a physical award, a certificate plus:

$100 for overall first place
$75 for overall second place
$50 for overall third place

Awards included a digital icon for each participant to put on their films and websites!

Here are the 2023 festival winners:

Shorts : Pelayo (26.9 points, 1st)
Promotional : The Devil Hates Latin (26.1 points, 2nd)
Sport Highlights : Wrestling Highlights (24.5 points, 3rd)
Music Videos : Found Tonight (21.9 points, 4th)
Full Lengths : Our Mother Elizabeth (18.6 points, 5th)

2nd Place Shorts : The EDEN Project (24.9 points)
2nd Place Promotional: The Revelation of the Ringwraiths (24.3 points)
2nd Place Sport Highlights : HKD At The Quest (18 points)
2nd Place Full Lengths : A Christmas Carol (18 points)

Film Festival 2023 Judges:

Rob & Mary Miller

Kathleen Bowen

What Others Are Saying About The Festival: