The WKU Film Department announced the nomination of three 2022 thesis films for the Ohio Valley National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences College Student Production Awards. 

The films nominated in the Short Form Fiction category include “Happy Mobie’s Day” directed by Jared Kunish and “Train of Thought” directed by Addyson Bednar. 

Mikale Youravich was nominated in the Photographer category for his work on the film “Camp Sunshine.” 

The awards ceremony will be held virtually on Sep. 18, according to the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences website. The awards seek to encourage and recognize excellent work in video production done by students. 

“It’s really cool to be recognized for all the hard work that we put in as a team to make a film,” Kunish said. “When you make a film it’s a whole group effort, and it’s many, many days of pre-production, and of course we have to edit it. Having all these different viewpoints on one film is what makes making movies so fun.”

Emra Mehmedovic, Ian Rachford-Gibson, Paul Maxwell and Jack Henson are listed alongside Kunish on the nomination for “Happy Mobie’s Day.”

Bednar described her film “Train of Thought” as being about a therapist “who traps herself on a mind-bending train ride when her immersive trauma treatment traps her within the distraught psyches of the surrounding train passengers, then within her own.”

“I wanted to try something out of my comfort zone, something different and something fun for my cast and crew to bring to life,” Bednar said. “To have it nominated for this award means a lot to me.”

The story explores a main character who puts everyone before herself, leading to an inevitable downfall. 

“This was something I was struggling with at the time; finding a balance between how much I give to the rest of the world and what I keep for myself,” Bednar said. “Selfishly, I realized sometimes you need to look out for yourself first. My main character learned that too late.”

Jacob Staley, Carter Ford, Michelle Arnold and Natalie Cushman are listed alongside Bednar on the nomination for “Train of Thought.”

“It’s a great feeling to even just be nominated,” Travis Newton, associate professor and film advisor, said. “Any sort of outside recognition is a feather in your cap. Getting your work out there and seen by more people, whether it’s at the regional level to the national level, it’s a kudos to the good work that you do.”

News reporter Madison Carter can be reached at madison.carter312@ topper.wku.edu.