ORU Students Win Best Student Film Award At 168 Film Festival In Atlanta, Georgia

A group of film students at Oral Roberts University are celebrating a big achievement after winning the ‘Best Student Film Award’ at a festival in Georgia.

Film students at ORU had just one week to shoot and edit a film based on a Bible verse for the 168 Film Festival in Atlanta.

The festival is famous for its short film contest where filmmakers shoot and edit a film in 168 hours.

“This festival celebrates the skills of people to come together under a lot of pressure and show what they can do in a short amount of time to make something beautiful and powerful," Associate Professor David Ray said.

Ten ORU seniors created a six minute short film based on Ecclesiastes chapter three, verses 12 and 13.

The short film follows a hard-working single mother who meets a young waiter who gives her hope.

Their film 'The Art of Kindness' won Best Student Film Award and was nominated in seven other categories.

Ray believes his students are successful because they learn real skills needed for the film industry.

“They understand the beats of story. They understand the requirements of pulling a script together, finding locations, finding actors and auditioning them, and running the set themselves. Because they’ve done it so many times before," Ray said.

Ray said there's a lot of buzz about Oklahoma becoming the next Atlanta when it comes to film. He believes the state's rise in production can help to make that happen.