The Allen Film Festival is always a highlight of the year at Crown—thanks in large part to the efforts of the student film club, Film Co. When Prof. Chris Fletcher and I joined Crown's faculty in 2024, we were struck by how much ownership students had in shaping the event. Since then, we’ve been grateful to partner with them and continue to build that legacy.
Because attendance has consistently exceeded the capacity of Crown’s auditorium, the festival has traditionally been held in the chapel. But our chapel's (beautiful) stained-glass windows require a later start time for optimal screening conditions. This year, we moved the event to the gym to allow for an earlier 7 p.m. start.
That may sound like an unusual choice...but if you know Crown, you know our event staff can transform the gym into just about anything. With extensive pipe and drape and a couple of new GOBOs, the space came together remarkably well. With the earlier start time and expanded setup, attendance exceeded expectations. We’re especially grateful to those who patiently waited for seating as we added chairs beyond what we planned!
While Film Co. plays a central role in organizing the festival, faculty coordinate the judging process. This year’s submissions made that both exciting and challenging. In particular, work from our documentary course resulted in a large number of entries to review. Ultimately, we selected 75 minutes of media for the final screening. Each piece was evaluated by a panel of five judges, all of whom were connected to our program in some way:
As judges, we evaluated each work across multiple criteria including story, editing, sound design, cinematography, direction, and performance. The juried awards are merit-based rather than comparative, meaning they recognize areas of excellence rather than ranking entries against one another. After approximately 90 minutes of discussion, the following awards were selected and presented after the screening:
Honorable Mention: Panic, by Katie Hauschild
A documentary that explores what panic attacks feel like, how they impact daily life, and how others can offer support.
Best Narrative: Anniversary, written and directed by Katie Hauschild
A husband prepares for an anniversary date...with a surprising twist.
Best Motion Graphics: The Power of Stories, by Amber Franson
An exploration of how narratives help us understand the world and empathize with others.
Best Documentary: Resilience, by Allie Johnson
A powerful personal testimony tracing multiple surgeries and the development of an inspirational philosophy on life and pain.
The final award was determined by audience vote. While most films received votes, the race ultimately came down to Resilience and a standalone submission created outside of class. Off the Cuff—a comedy featuring a prison break, heist, and series of well-timed sight gags—won by a narrow margin of three votes.
Audience Favorite: Off the Cuff, written by Gavin Leuthold and Caleb Fuglestad, directed by Gavin Leuthold
We want to congratulate not only this year’s award winners, but all of the students who contributed work both on and off screen. The post-screening reception gave us the chance to celebrate together and hear encouraging feedback about both the films and the new venue. We were especially excited to see new types of work represented this year. For the first time, the festival included both a video essay and motion graphics projects in competition—an encouraging sign of growth in the design concentration of our program, which launched just last year.
A special thank you goes to Troy Hillstrom and Crown’s event staff for their excellent work in making the event possible. We’re already looking forward to next year!
