International film festival comes to Georgia Southern

Navigate Left
Navigate Right
  • The film “A Year and a Day,” directed by GS student Conor Rentz, will be shown at the festival on Saturday. 

  • The Ogeechee International History Film Festival will be held on the Georgia Southern University campus from Thursday to Saturday. Photo courtesy of ogeecheefilmfestival.org.

Navigate Left
Navigate Right

Georgia Southern University will be hosting the second annual Ogeechee International History Film Festival Thursday through Saturday.

“The festival was unique because it was the only international history film festival that also open invitation,” Festival Organizer Jamie Rudy Bond said. “This means that anyone from around the world can submit their film into our competition as long as the film relates to history.”

The festival will include 29 films that have been accepted from all over the world including the US, Mexico, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Russia, India, Israel, Ethiopia, Korea, and Japan. Italy, Russia and Denmark.

Michael Van Wagenen, Ph.D, associate professor of history, and Regan Everett, Graduate Assistant, just last year.

“We are still the only open history festival in the United States,” Bond said.

The festival will also hold a high school competition section this year with collaboration from the Communication Arts Department.

GS Student Spotlight

The film “A Year and a Day” by Conner Rentz, junior film and production major, will be shown on Friday at the Ogeechee International History Film Festival.

Rentz describes the film as a medieval film that studies toxic masculinity and the negative effects it can have on relationships and mental stability.

“It feels great to be able to have this film in a history film festival,” Rentz said. “The history really supports this story, and I am glad that the talents and efforts of the cast and crew can be showcased to a whole new audience and hopefully spark some discussion.”

Opening night

Opening night will begin 5:30 p.m. with a welcoming ceremony in the Nesmith Lane Conference Center room 1915 followed by a showing the film In Exile: A Family Film by Juan Francisco Uristti.

After the film, Uristti will lead a Q&A session with the audience. Opening night will conclude with a reception with Urrusti and filmmakers at 7:45 p.m. at the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Center.

For more information and a complete schedule of the festivals events, click here.