This year’s UC Davis Film Festival, May 26-27, drew 52 entries — in comedy and drama, animation and commercials, documentaries and music videos, and other genres — from all corners of campus.

“It’s wonderful to see UC Davis, typically a science school, produce so many great and unexpected pieces from all majors, not just arts and humanities,” said Pamela Orebaugh, a double-major in English and film studies, who is producing the festival in collaboration with three faculty members.

Orebaugh said the filmmakers represent various science departments as well as the festival’s sponsoring programs: theatre and dance, technocultural studies, film studies and art studio. Even doctoral candidates got into the mix this year.

Many of the participants, past and present, said they enjoy seeing their work on big screen, in this case, the Varsity Theatre in downtown Davis.

The participants also appreciate the festival’s presubmission format, whereby arts faculty — many of whom are professionals in film, television or new media — offer constructive criticism to help the students take their work to the next level.

Andy Blalock, a senior majoring in film studies, is back with five films, after earning last year’s festival prizes for best direction and best editing.

The festival gave a special award last year to Filmmakers’ Ambitions, a campus group of student film and video artists, for sustained excellence — and the group accounts for about 10 entries this year.

Newcomers include Meredith Sward, a second-year technocultural studies major, whose submission is titled Oh Dear, an experimental piece that employs found footage and skillful editing.

Sward said: “Oh Dear is about the representation of beauty and sexuality of children and how it can be seen as a violent act against them. A chain of inspirations led me to create the piece starting with the children's story Mirette on the Highwire.”

Among the other topics: the influence of social networking sites (The Future of Twitter) and finding the truth about love (On Love).

Each submission may be no longer than 10 minutes, including credits.

Last year’s winners earned a tour of the set of Lincoln Heights, a television series for which UC Davis Professor John Iacovelli served as production designer from 2007 to 2009.

Iacovelli is one of the faculty members working with Orebaugh as festival producers. The others are Professor Sarah Pia Anderson and Associate Professor Jesse Drew. Iacovelli and Anderson are in the Department of Theatre and Dance, while Drew is director of the Technocultural Studies Program.

All three faculty producers double as advisers to the student filmmakers. Other advisers are Liz Constable, associate professor, Department of French and Italian, and director Film Studies Program; Darrin Martin, assistant professor, art studio; Maggie Morgan, associate professor, theatre and dance; Pablo Ortiz, professor, music; and Julie Wyman, assistant professor, technocultural studies.

Chiijmree Williams, a film studies major, is the student assistant producer.

Reporting by Janice Bisgaard, publicity manager for the Department of Theatre and Dance.

AT A GLANCE

WHAT: The Department of Theatre and Dance’s UC Davis Film Festival, presented by the Varsity Theatre, produced in association with Technocultural Studies and co-sponsored by Film Studies and Art Studio.

WHEN: 8:30 p.m. May 26-27, with all entries presented each night

WHERE: Varsity Theatre, 616 Second St., Davis

TICKETS: $5, available in advance at the theatre box office starting today (May 19)

PAST YEAR’S WINNING FILMS