On April 4, Biola University’s Cinema and Media Arts (CMA) department hosted their annual Biola Film Festival, an award show in which all current Biola students can submit their work. Films included senior thesis projects, past Biola Films, class projects, music videos, student-made documentaries and more. Submissions have the opportunity to be nominated for any of 16 categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor/Actress, Best Cinematography, and more. Additionally, various panels were held with all of the nominees prior to the award ceremony.
On April 3, all of the nominated films were screened so that filmmakers and other students could have the opportunity to view the award nominees. This year’s contenders for Best Picture were “A Lovely Ending,” “Farthest Space,” “Gary and Milo,” “Halfway,” “My Own Hair,” and “NOD.”
The winners of each of the 16 categories were:
Best Picture:
“Gary and Milo”
Best Director:
“Gary and Milo,” Liam Greenlee
Best Actor:
“Paul Buscetti, Oscar Nominee,” Chad Anderson
Best Actress:
“NOD,” CheyAnne Harris
Best Screenplay:
“The Last Bonaparte”
Best Score:
“NOD”
Best Sound:
“Gary and Milo”
Best Cinematography:
“Gary and Milo”
Best Costume Design:
“Farthest Space”
Best Hair and Makeup:
“My Own Hair”
Best Editing:
“Halfway”
Best Visual Effects:
“Farthest Space”
Best Documentary:
“TONY”
Best Music Video:
“Voodoo?”
Best Experimental Film:
“Crescendo”
The award ceremony is an opportunity for talented CMA students to be recognized for their creativity, hard work and dedication to their craft. This year’s award ceremony included a live performance by Sarah Johnson from the musical “A Lovely Ending”, a surprise appearance from the protagonists of “Gary and Milo” and a variety of props on display from “NOD”.
“Gary and Milo” walked away with a plethora of awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Writer and director Liam Greenlee made the film before abruptly having to drop out of Biola due to financial hardship. Greenlee was able to re-enroll this year, and he was grateful to celebrate the success of “Gary and Milo” with his peers.
“I’m shocked that this happened. If you had told me two years ago when I dropped out that I would be coming back for the last film I made, I would be shocked,” said Greenlee, “It’s an honor to be here – everyone is so talented, and I just hope people keep making weird films here.”
Not all nominees and those involved are Biola students. Some outside talent, especially actors, have become involved in Biola student productions. Chad Anderson, winner of the Best Actor category for his role in “Paul Buscetti, Oscar Nominee,” had also starred in other productions, such as the Fall 2024 Biola Film “My Own Hair” and “A Lovely Ending.”
“I’ve done a number of projects here,” said Anderson, “There’s a reason I keep coming back to Biola to participate in projects. First of all, it’s the people you work with that make any project worth doing. The people here are phenomenal. The first time I drove down here from LA, I loved every minute of it. It was a unique story that I got to be a part of. Keep making these stories, because these are stories that actors love to work on.”
The Snyder School of Cinema and Media Arts Dean Tom Halleen closed out the night by presenting the Best Picture winner and thanking students for their ongoing creativity and hard work on their projects.
