ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University graduate film students e. E.Charlton and Galen T. McGriff will screen their thesis films Saturday, June 7, at 2 p.m. in Seigfred Hall's Mitchell Auditorium. The screening is free and open to the public. A reception will follow.
Charlton will premiere her thesis film, "Cielto Lindo" ("Pretty Sky"). Filmed on location in Progresso, Mexico, it tells the story of a beggar girl, Beatrice, whom Charlton accidentally photographed four years ago and their connection now.
"The hardest thing about this film is the personal nature of it," Charlton said. "I have had to be a part of people's lives in a way I never have before. There's a real powerlessness in not being able to lift someone out of poverty. For me, giving these children a voice has been my only panacea."
"Cielto Lindo" has drawn attention because of its cross-cultural subject matter. Appearing in publications from Texas to Ohio, it earned Charlton the I. Hollis Perry-Billman and Betty Thomas Filmmaking awards.
"The awards are really a double-edged sword," she said. "You think, 'Wow, I'm really supported.' Then you panic and think, 'This better be exceptional.'"
McGriff's film, "A Bat Story," is a comic telling of bad versus bad where a thief who wants to make one last robbery encounters a bat that terrorizes him. During his time at Ohio University, McGriff has worked on more than 30 short films, two of which - "Jaden" and "The Package" - he will show in addition to "A Bat Story."
"I've made my share of mistakes but learned a lot of things about filmmaking," McGriff said. "The real-world application seems a lot more in reach now."
Charlton has dedicated her show to the memory of Amanda J. Cunningham, a campus leader set to graduate this spring before dying in a car accident. "Amanda was my touchstone and a very separate and unique part of my life outside of filmmaking," Charlton said. "This movie is one of the last things she and I talked about just days before her passing. Somehow the 14-hour edit days will mean something when her name comes up on the screen."
