ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Students from the University of New Mexico Film & Digital Arts Department created a half-hour award-winning television pilot, Drifteen. Drifteen has since been accepted into the Santa Fe Film Festival and won Best Cinematography at the LGBTQ+ Los Angeles Film Festival.
UNM’s Film Professor, Matthew McDuffie, explains that the pilot was created, produced, shot, and edited by students in the FDMA department’s class called The Show. As part of the summer class, students fill every position necessary to create a half-hour film or TV project. Roles include production, cinematography, art direction, sound, hair & makeup, special effects, post-production, and more. Once the project is completed it is sent to festivals and hopefully taken to the Hollywood market.
Drifteen’s story centers around two teen girls that run away from home. Jeanette DeDios highlights her experience working with other students as one of three cinematographers on The Show saying, “it was an amazing experience.” She expresses that having the support of the other students made a big impact throughout the filming process.
McDuffie explains that last year students from The Show created an A-24-style horror piece and the plan for the upcoming summer is to produce a murder mystery. He is hopeful about the potential these projects have and is excited to be able to put the films out into the world to get recognition. McDuffie emphasizes the remarkable work opportunities that have come as a result of students learning how to work on a film set through The Show.
The Show is breaking new ground for college film students by giving them hands-on training on a film set. Drifteen will premiere this Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Santa Fe Film Festival at the New Mexico History Museum. To buy tickets for the premiere visit filmfreeway.com and to learn more about UNM’s Film program visit finearts.unm.edu.
