Two Binghamton University students won top places in this past summer’s first “I Love New York” short film contest.
Sean Cunningham, a cinema major alumnus who graduated last year, was the Grand Prize Winner of the competition. Justin Hartough, a senior political science and cinema major, placed as Best Student Film Maker.
The competition was announced on May 29, 2008, and ran throughout the summer. Contestants were allowed to submit their entries between June 1 and July 15.
According to Ryan Yarosh, a BU spokesman, anyone over the age of 14 was eligible to participate in the contest. All films were required to be shot in 60 seconds or a “New York minute,” and had to be filmed within New York state.
Tina Fey of “Saturday Night Live,” Academy Award-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman and film director Doug Liman were among the judges.
Cunningham said that he wanted to represent many different parts of New York in his video, entitled “Discover a Different Kind of New York.” Areas featured in his piece included the Finger Lakes, Ithaca and the Thousand Islands.
“I wanted to do exactly what the film was promoting, to show New York state as more than just New York City,” Cunningham said.
According to Cunningham, the movie only took one day to film, despite the fact that it takes place across the state. He woke up at dawn to get to the Finger Lakes, drove to Ithaca and finished up north in the Thousand Islands for the shot at sunset.
For his short film, Cunningham walked away with a Sony Professional HD Camcorder with accessories, a scholarship to attend a specialized film workshop and a pair of round-trip tickets on JetBlue.
“I really want to travel with films and network with all these people I met in New York,” he said.
In addition to his prizes, Cunningham’s winning film will be screened in various venues as well as a variety of events, including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. People flying on JetBlue Airways will have the chance to view the film via the airline’s seat-back televisions, and it will also be featured in New York film festivals.
Hartough’s film, which is called “Crab Meadow Beach,” portrays the area of Crab Meadow Beach in Newport.
According to Hartough, the movie took a few days to film and was inspired by the general area of the state itself. He received encouragement from his mother, who pushed him to participate in order to get involved in the film industry.
“I want to go into film-making and this just makes it a little more possible,” Hartough said.
According to a press release, Hartough will receive a mentorship experience with American film director Doug Liman as a prize. He also won a Sony HD Camcorder with accessories, a pair of round-trip tickets on JetBlue Airways and lunch with a New York Post film critic.
To see the award-winning short films and find out more information about the contest, visit metacafe.com/iloveny.