News Articles

Sonscreen Film Festival Holds First Alumni Mixer

As part of its expanding portfolio, Sonscreen gathers for an online event specifically geared toward showcasing work and renewing relationships with its film alumni.

November 23, 2021 | Columbia, Md. | Rachel Scribner

On Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021, Sonscreen Film Festival director Julio Muñoz sat down at his computer, and clicked his way into an elegant rooftop party in a virtual world. As Muñoz scanned the scene, three friends stood chatting with a stunning view of the city lights. Two more attendees conversed at a bistro table on the veranda, and groups of visitors dotted the space: networking, mingling, and perusing a gallery of film trailers guests had made. The real-world attendees tapped away on their keyboard’s arrow keys, piloting their tiny avatars around the game-like virtual meeting space, and video chatting with visitors who wandered nearby.

The venue was the unique video conference platform Gather Town, the guests were Sonscreen alumni and other filmmaking professionals from North America and beyond,. The event was the first of its kind: a mix and mingle event designed specifically for alumni and other industry professionals. Tanya Musgrave’s podcast, The Practical Filmmaker, hosted the mixer, and Sonscreen sponsored and supported the event.

Muñoz stated that alumni and industry professionals have always been welcome at Sonscreen Film Festival. Each year, some professionals attend the festival to network, teach, or share their projects with students, but an event specifically for professionals is a new addition to Sonscreen’s 18-year history. “Sonscreen is the only film festival sponsored by the church anywhere in the world” Muñoz explained. “We realized that once students graduate from college, they have no support system like they would in school. We wanted to create a support system for them beyond the academic years.”

The November event opened with a screening at which alumni presenters showed trailers for their films. Then, after an ice-breaker activity, the schedule opened up, giving the almost two dozen guests participating time to share information for future projects, learn what their peers were working on, and connect with former classmates and new friends. Several attendees commented that they gathered valuable information during the event and hoped for more like it in the future.

After the last guest logged off, their tiny avatars vanishing from the rooftop one by one, Muñoz stayed behind to recap the program with Musgrave and me (I was an event staffer). Muñoz was already thinking ahead to next time.

“It’s started out small,” he said, “but I think it’ll grow.”

— Rachel Scribner is a film maker and writer who serves on the Sonscreen Film Festival board of directors.

The Power of a Simple Tract: Transforming Lives with Messages of Hope and Wholeness

Have you ever hit rock bottom and found hope from an unexpected source? For a 16-year-old girl from California, that hope came in the form of a pocket-sized Signs of the Times given to her by a stranger on an Amtrak train. Hers is one of countless stories of a tract sparking transformation. Take advantage of the holidays, and a limited sale, to spread the love of God organically with these life-changing materials.

50 Ministerial Spouses Unite for Community Service, Fellowship, and Training During the 2024 NAD Year-End Meeting

Community service, fellowship, and training sessions made up the spouses’ meetings during this year’s NAD Year-End Meetings, with roughly 50 spouses of conference leaders in attendance.

Report on 2024 Consolidated Enrollment

The Association of Adventist Colleges and Universities (AACU), comprised of the presidents and other top leaders from 13 Adventist colleges and universities in North America, has determined that the latest consolidated fall enrollment numbers for all 13 institutions totals 20,828 students. This increase of 256 students from the previous year marks the second consecutive year of total growth.

Charting a New Path: 2024 Administrators’ Conference Unites Leaders to Shape the Future of the Church in North America

It’s been 10 years since conference and union presidents, executive secretaries, and treasurers gathered in one room to brainstorm how best to carry out the church’s mission in North America. A long-awaited follow-up, the 2024 administrators’ conference hosted more than 200 conference and union officers at the NAD’s headquarters on Oct. 30-31.

Promoting Healthy Minds at Southern Adventist University

Experts across America have gathered statistics that point to a mental health crisis for college students. Anxiety concerns have risen from 56 percent in 2013 to 65 percent in 2023, according to the Center for Collegiate Mental Health. The center also found that the number of students seeking help has steadily increased from 2009 until the pandemic. In response to the crisis, Southern Adventist University is working to ensure that students have access to various high-quality mental health resources.