CFA Short Films win big at DIFF
The 2009 class of Compass Film Academy made a big splash at the Detroit Independent Film Festival this weekend with the short films The Commandant and 1 New Message. Nominated for Best Michigan Short and winning for Best Actor (Robert William Ford), The Commandant tells the story of three Russian soldiers trapped and hiding in Poland during World War II. The film 1 New Message, directed by Julie Dugger, earned a nomination for Best Screenplay (by Alexander Slain), and won for Best Academic Short. It tells the story of a father’s last call to his family on 9/11. Both films were up against over 30 selected short films from various Michigan universities and film programs, but talk at the festival centered strongly in favor of the quality productions that Compass’ students created. During his acceptance speech, Robert Ford thanked Compass Film Academy and its students for giving him myriad opportunities to practice his craft, as well as Compass faculty member Joshua Courtade for his on-going support and encouragement. “I feel honored to be recognized for something I love to do and in a state that I love so much,” Ford said. The Commandant’s producer Ross VandeWaa was equally pleased with the results. “It was exciting to get nominated for Best Michigan Short, and we were glad to see Robert Ford get recognized for his great acting in the film,” said VandeWaa. While 1 New Message producer, Jeremy Waterbury, was not able to be present at the festival to accept his film’s award, news did quickly reach him on the set of Frontier Boys, a feature that he currently is line-producing.