[For more information on SunDeis, please visit www.sundeis.com.]SunDeis, the Brandeis-sponsored student film festival, will be held from April 9 to 11. Founded last year to create an outlet for student filmmakers in New England (but featuring entries from schools well beyond the region), the festival is designed to showcase student films in all genres, help aspiring filmmakers establish connections with industry figures and reinforce the University's tradition in the film community.

SunDeis will feature screenings of student films and seminars with industry speakers and will culminate in an awards ceremony featuring over $12,000 worth of prizes.

More aspiring filmmakers applied for this year's festival than last year's.

"Audiences and film lovers can expect a high class, well-put-together festival displaying some of the best student films from around New England, and especially Brandeis, as well as speakers who complement the goals of the festival, that of promoting independent, working-from-the-ground-up filmmaking," SunDeis' public relations chair, Michael Kagan '05, explained.

The featured films this year include entries by students from Brandeis, Boston University, Harvard University, Cornell University, Ithaca College, the University of Indiana and the London School of Economics. The films were shot at various locations and explore multiple genres and topics.

Entries include an eerie sci-fi film about a young girl who claims her doll can talk, a comedy about a man looking for a clever way out of a relationship with an overbearing girlfriend and a documentary about the takeover of Ford Hall by black students at Brandeis University in 1968.

"Filmmaking is a craft that depends on community, connections and networking," wrote Adam Irving '05, SunDeis's submissions and judging chair, in an e-mail to the Justice. "That is why it is essential that SunDeis reach beyond the peripheral road so that students from all over New England can mingle with one another, exchange business cards and network."

SunDeis will host a number of film professionals, many of whom are Brandeis alumni. Sam Weisman '73, the director of movies including George of the Jungle and D2: the Mighty Ducks, will speak about how to find one's way in the entertainment business. Gary David Goldberg '66, a writer and producer of Spin City and Family Ties will speak about his series Brooklyn Bridge and the evolving image of families on television. Carolyn Pickman of CP Casting will run a workshop on auditioning in front of the camera. Zeva Oelbaum, a documentary filmmaker, will discuss the role of photography in film.

A representative from Soup2Nuts, an animation studio, will lead a seminar called "Everything You Wanted to Know about Making an Animated Adult Series But Were Afraid to Ask."

The awards ceremony is "where the glamour of Hollywood comes to Brandeis for one special night," Irving wrote. Nominees will walk a red carpet in black ties, accompanied by music by Top Score, a 30-piece student ensemble that specializes in music from film soundtracks. The ceremony, which will be emceed by Josh Gondelman '07, contains 12 awards, from "Best in Show" to "Most Innovative Film." There is also an award for an outstanding Brandeisian filmmaker-the nominees in this category are Eric Strauss '05, Jefferson Arak '07, Seth Bernstein '06 and Arnon Shorr '05.

Editors' Note: Shorr is a Justice staff writer.