Media Arts holds Hollywood fundraiser

Leila Ben Belfadhel, 19, left, and Sierra Tucker, 19, dressed up as Peter Pan and Tinkerbell to support Media Art students at Movie Star Pub Night last week at the Marquee.

STORY BY JENNIFER STIENSTRA

For people attending the Movie Star pub night last Thursday, it was a chance to unwind before hitting the books for exams.

For the Media Arts students, this was one of the many fundraising events they’ve organized to raise money for their awards show on May 13.

“We wouldn’t be able to have the award show like we would have it [without the fundraising] because we do get the TIFF Bell Lightbox, so we raise money for that,” said Leila Ben Belfadhel, 19, a second-year Media Arts student.

“It basically makes it possible to have the awards ceremony.”

The TIFF Bell Lightbox is a theatre in Toronto where the annual Toronto International Film Festival is held.

The money raised goes toward booking the theatre and paying for equipment such as projectors, said Lewis Belgum, 21, a second-year Media Arts.

The awards show is an end-of-year event in which the second- and third-year students screen their works and potentially receive awards.

“It’s the kind of thing you see at the Oscars,” said Ben Belfadhel.

From left, Julia Wylie, 22, and Fran Purnell, 19, dressed up and supported the media arts students at the Movie Star Pub Night.

The award winners are not chosen by professors, but by professionals in the field, said Belgum. They sit down, watch the films the students submit, then pick the top three to be nominated at the show.

Those who work in specific fields such as camera work and cinematography also judge the films for awards. For example, an award for best audio would be judged by people from audio studios, said Belgum.

“It makes the students feel special because it’s a legitimate award from the industry,” he said.

The theatre is usually packed with 500 to 1,000 people for their end of year show, he said.

Award attendees include professionals from the industry, representing companies such as NBC, Nickelodeon, Universal, CBC, CityTV and Warner Brothers.

The Media Arts students have been fundraising since the fall, doing grilled cheese sales and bake sales to make money.

The Movie Star pub night, in which people could attend dressed up as actors or characters, was their latest fundraising effort.

“Pub night is a good way to get a bunch of people to get out. It’s a good way to reach out to people in the program itself to donate more money,” said Ben Belfadhel.

“With the end of the semester coming and it being a really stressful time, people want to unwind.”

The money made from ticket pre-sales went toward their funds for renting the TIFF Bell Lightbox, which costs $10,000 to $15,000.

According to Alastair Sinclair, 20, a second-year Media Arts student, they’ve raised “roughly $600 to $800.” He says that the students typically raise $1,000 to $2,000 on their own, and turn to professionals in the industry and companies to cover the rest of the cost.

The ticket pre-sales were pretty successful, said Ben Belfadhel. She said they sold 27 tickets on the first day, which was more than they sold on day one last year.