Elizabeth Kollmar | Cedarville University sophomore
Elizabeth Kollmar | Cedarville University sophomore
Cedarville Student Filmmaker Wins Documentary Award
For Cedarville University sophomore Elizabeth Kollmar, her passion for making films always seemed like an unattainable career. But, after a class project led to an award ceremony, the dream no longer seems out of reach.
Kollmar, a broadcasting, digital media and journalism major, took a video technology class in her first year at Cedarville. For her final project, she had to create a documentary or short film.
Kollmar’s award for Best Documentary was announced Friday, Nov. 4, at the International Conference on Missions (ICOM) in Columbus, Ohio. The contest is hosted by Good News Productions International (GNPI) and Redeem TV.
“At the time, I was in a discipleship group studying Hebrews in the New Testament. A girl in my group had this wonderful testimony, and I wanted to tell her story," said Kollmar.
Kollmar spent 45 minutes interviewing, two days filming b-roll and upward of 10 hours editing the four-minute documentary clip.
“The work of making a film is much more than people would expect,” said Kollmar. “Getting all of the little details to work together to tell a cohesive story, shaping an interview, is so labor intensive but so rewarding.”
After turning in her project, Sean O’Conner, assistant professor of broadcasting, digital media and journalism, recommended that Kollmar submit her documentary to a film contest.
“I really did not expect anything to come of it, so when I submitted the film in September, I wasn’t holding my breath,” said Kollmar. “I received an email telling me I had been nominated for the final round over fall break and then received an email telling me I had won on October 22.”
“It was exciting to win because film is something I have wanted to do forever,” said Kollmar. “To win an award is like a payoff for all of the hard work. Even though making the film and having people enjoy it is a reward in itself, knowing that this will keep the impact of the film going is exciting.”
The short documentary tells the story of a friend of Kollmar’s, who, after being diagnosed with Turner’s syndrome, struggled with depression.
Original source can be found here.
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