Past Festivals
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2017 Film Festival
Thoughtful and creative filmmakers, a fabulous celebrity host by the name of Kate Flannery (you've seen her on The Office), and films that made us laugh, cry, and want to travel the world. No, we're not talking about the Oscars, we're talking about our 2017 Study Abroad Film Festival event! We were thrilled to announce our Grand Prize winner in front of a live audience during the first-ever IES Abroad Study Abroad Film Festival event on November 1st, at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago. After a record-breaking 93 total student film submissions and 2,000+ votes on Facebook, our Grand Prize award went to Ismael Byers (Hope College | IES Abroad Santiago) and Kyle Arnold (Ithaca College | IES Abroad Santiago)!
GRAND PRIZE WINNER: Solitude: A Companion Abroad
Ismael Byers & Kyle Arnold | Hope College & Ithaca College
IES Abroad Santiago | Fall, 2016
FINALIST: Sapporo
Jacob Hatfield | Penn State
IES Abroad Tokyo | Fall, 2016
FINALIST: The Journey of Healing in Japan
Wennicha Yang | University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
IES Abroad Tokyo | J-Term, 2017
SEMI-FINALISTS:
Rewind to Fast Forward
Sitthipong Chomsang | IES Abroad Dublin
No Pasa Nada: A Tyler Collins Perspective
Tyler Collins | IES Abroad Barcelona
Just Another Day
Marty Dang | IES Abroad Nagoya
moments
Alya James Abourezk | IES Abroad Berlin
I Spy
Bianca Elise Cortner | IES Abroad Sydney
How to Make the Most of Amsterdam
Noam Kahn | IES AbroadAmsterdam
Abroad Perspective
Christopher Arihilam | Miami University
Japan Through My Eyes
Valerie M. Virgen | IES Abroad Tokyo
Becoming Clouds
Robin Hupin | IES Abroad Milan
2016 Film Festival
With more emphasis on storytelling and creativity than ever before, the 2016 Film Festival, which ran from October 2015-September 2016, was the most successful festival to date. The 2016 Festival diverged from previous years by asking students to submit their films into one of three categories: A Day in the Life, Creative Short, and IES Abroad Film Course Production.
Starting with a record-breaking 70 film submissions from around the world, 18 semi-finalists were sent to the jury and 5 finalist films were opened up to the public for voting on our Facebook page.
After 2,000+ votes in just five days’ time, the award of Study Abroad Film Festival Grand Prize Winner went to “Even in Europe…” by Jordan Cain (IES Abroad Vienna | Spring 2016) for his light-hearted, and smile-filled dance video across Europe.
GRAND PRIZE WINNER: Even in Europe…
Jordan Cain | Indiana University
IES Abroad Vienna | Spring, 2016
FINALIST: I Choose Opennness
Thamine Nayeem | University of Richmond
IES Abroad Rabat | Fall, 2015
FINALIST: FOMO
Rachel Beavers, Courtney Testa, and Rod Flucas | University of Georgia, Penn State, University of the Redlands
IES Abroad London | Spring, 2016
FINALIST: With Love
Shannon Sotomayor | Brown University
IES Abroad Dublin | Spring, 2016
FINALIST: Si Sabe Algo
Paul Holden | Yale University
IES Abroad Salamanca | Fall, 2015
SEMI-FINALISTS:
Motion in the South
Oliver Lowe | IES Abroad Cape Town
Honorable Mention
Hidden Beauties: A Day in Istanbul
Maya Benedict | IES Abroad Istanbul
Best New Talent
(Not) A Day in the Life Abroad
Benjamin Streeter | IES Abroad Madrid
Most Unique
La Bella Vita a Milano
Hannah Koxlien and Megan Wrentz | IES Abroad Milan
Most Creative Music Video
Teaching Science in Manenberg
James Dolgin | IES Abroad Cape Town
Most Informative
There Is No Place Like Home
Brock Carlson | IES Abroad Milan
Best Storytelling
My Milano Is Not Your Milan
Jiaqi Luo | IES Abroad Milan
Best Cinematography
Bonjour Paris!
Gwendolyn Lee | IES Abroad Paris
Best Music
The Black Men of IES Roma
Konso Mbakire | IES Abroad Rome
Best Interviews
Perspective
Micky Ferguson | IES Abroad Salamanca
Most Thought Provoking
The Third Man: A Reenactment
Sparrow Gates | IES Abroad Vienna
Best Screenplay
Nobel
Elisabeth Hawthorne| IES Abroad Rome
Best Study Abroad Reflection
The Barrier
Valerie Medoff | IES Abroad London
Best Documentary
2015 Film Festival
The 2015 Study Abroad Film Festival, which ran from October 2014-September 2015, was open to IES Abroad students and alumni who studied abroad any time between January 2012 and June 2015.
Like last year, the prompt asked students to capture the essence of study abroad in 25 minutes or less. For the second year in a row we were captivated, inspired, and moved by their personal interpretations of the study abroad experience.
From 45 submissions, to 19 semi-finalists- only 3 jury selected films went live for public vote on our Facebook page. After over 1,000 votes, the award of Study Abroad Film Festival 2015 Winner went to It's Okay by Kyle Rodriguez (IES Abroad Buenos Aires | Spring 2015).
WINNER: It's Okay
Kyle Rodriguez | Occidental College
IES Abroad Buenos Aires, Spring 2015
2ND PLACE: Bringing Light to Egoli
Larisa Manescu | University of Texas – at Austin
IES Abroad Cape Town, Spring 2015
FINALIST: Abroad Sweet Abroad
Adrienne Picciotto | Mount Holyoke College
IES Abroad Rome, Spring 2015
SEMI-FINALISTS:
A Day in Rome
Lichun (Lisa) Chang | IES Abroad Rome, Fall 2014
A Semester in China: Shanghai 2015
Shea Parikh | IES Abroad Shanghai, Spring 2015
Abbey Road – It’s Just a Road
Marialyse Martiney | IES Abroad London, Spring 2015
Be Cool – Berlin
Hannah Ayasse & Julia Lesser | IES Abroad Berlin, Spring 2015
Bubbles
Hannah Kaminsky | IES Abroad Rome, Spring 2015
Dear Delhi
Elisa Barton | IES Abroad Delhi, Spring 2015
Die Sprache der Steine
Jonathan Ho & Cole Graham | IES Abroad Berlin, Spring 2015
Eliza – Official Trailer (2015)
Philip Chen | IES Abroad Vienna, Spring 2015
Headbanging Around Europe
Andrew Brummer | IES Abroad Barcelona, Fall 2014
Rio de Janeiro Semester Abroad
Tim Fisher | IES Abroad Rio de Janeiro, Spring 2015
So It Goes
Kimberly Webber | IES Abroad European Union, Spring 2015
Thank You Australia
Marlowe Padilla | IES Abroad Sydney, Spring 2015
The ABC’s of Study Abroad
Saphir Shemesh | IES Abroad Vienna, Spring 2015
The Bravest Measure
Elisabeth Hawthorne | IES Abroad Rome, Fall 2014-Spring 2015
The Rich Life of Robert Dawson
Adam Wallace | IES Abroad Rome, Spring 2015
Tomado 4: El Toma
Joe LoCascio & TJ Patrias | IES Abroad Barcelona, Spring 2015
2014 Film Festival
The 2014 Study Abroad Film Festival ran from October 2013 through September 2014. The festival was open to IES Abroad students and alumni who studied abroad any time between January 2011 and August 2014.
Challenged with the prompt of capturing the spirit of study abroad in 25 minutes or less, the producers and their films blew us away!
From 54 submissions to 19 semi-finalists, the jury selected their top 3 films for public vote on our Facebook page. More than 4,000 votes later, the award of Study Abroad Film Festival 2014 Winner went to East of Here by Alexa Penton (IES Abroad Beijing | Spring 2014).
WINNER: East of Here
Alexa Penton | University of Mississippi
IES Abroad Beijing, Spring 2014
FINALIST: Japan: A Boy's Journey
Finn Smyth | University of South Carolina
IES Abroad Tokyo, Summer 2013
FINALIST: home sweet home
Grace DuVal Johnston | School of the Art Institute, Chicago
IES Abroad Customized Program: School of the Art Institute of Chicago Paris Fashion, Spring 2012
SEMI-FINALISTS:
Augenblicke meines Lebens / Minutes of my Life
David Freid | IES Abroad Berlin, Spring 2014
The Final Vlog
Steven Fowler | IES Abroad Nantes, Spring 2014
Miseducation: Beyond Many Means
Taylor Turner | IES Abroad Beijing, Spring 2013
Lost but then Found
Chelsea Golub | IES Abroad London, Spring 2013
Identity
Briene Lermitte | IES Abroad Siena, Spring 2011
A New Globe
Jason Farahnik | IES Abroad Customized Program: Babson BRIC, Fall 2012
Across the Hall
Doug Gavetti | IES Abroad Milan, Spring 2014
The IES Declassified Freiburg Survival Guide
Gracie Weiderhaft | IES Abroad Freiburg, Academic Year 2012-13
Shark in the Water - Galapagos Style
Johanna O’Day | IES Abroad Galápagos Islands, Spring 2014
Adventures Abroad
Ginger Maneske | IES Abroad Milan, Spring 2011
Memories from the Maghreb
Meghan Johns | IES Abroad Rabat, Spring 2014
Bid Me Be Silent
Ashlyn Keightley | IES Abroad Vienna, Fall 2013
While I Was There, a Study Abroad Adventure
Colin Klingemann | IES Abroad London, Summer 2012
Viaggio in Italia
Peter Anthony and Kate Krull | IES Abroad Milan, Summer 2014
Juggling Down Under
Michael Rizk | IES Abroad Sydney, Spring 2014
Stereotypes/ Stereotipi
Kathleen Ray and Nina Ottaviano | IES Abroad Rome, Spring 2014
