PUC’s Film Department Wins Four Awards at Sonscreen Film Festival

The film department at Pacific Union College traveled to Loma Linda, California, to attend the Sonscreen Film Festival from April 4-6. PUC Visual Arts Chair Rajeev Sigamoney, PUC Visual Arts Professor Tim de la Torre, and 16 film students celebrated their competing films alongside several alums who showed their love and support. Some alums also had their work submitted to the festival and helped with other films.

The Sonscreen Film Festival is an opportunity for PUC film students to get off campus and bond with each other. Since the festival began in 2002, it has been a right-of-passage for film students.

PUC had nine films play in the festival, with three winning awards. Film student Josue Hilario won Audience Choice for his work Inner Space. For the Jury Awards, Megan Lira won the Achievement in Visual Style for her film Evelyn, and Minority Report by Dylan Sails received the Achievement in Writing award.

A memorable moment for the film department was seeing PUC Visual Arts Department Chair Rajeev Sigamoney accept the Sonscreen Vision Award. He was presented this lifetime achievement award for his support and work with the festival over the past 20+ years. Though Sigamoney cringes over being old enough to receive the award, he is honored.

“I realize now that I was part of the festival for nearly ten years as a professional filmmaker, panelist, and even festival director—getting to grow my film portfolio, seeing the festival grow, and developing projects with the community,” said Sigamoney. “And then getting to be a part of the festival for the last 12 years as a faculty member, supporting my students and the overall festival. It really is special to have been part of a community for so many years, and I hope I can continue to do so in the future.”

PUC film alum and videographer for the Marketing & Communication department Nephtali Marin was there to witness this special occasion. "It was an emotional moment for everyone,” he said. “Students, coordinators, and Rajeev were all taking in the moment. He has contributed so much to this department and the festival—and that award was a reminder of all he’s done for us. It was well-deserved."

It is always a joy for Sigamoney to see his students celebrate receiving an honor for their hard work and thoughtful projects. Over the years, the festival has bonded his students and faculty, started many thoughtful conversations, and pushed them to create the best work they could make in future years.

“Even though our films are often quite different than films from their peers at other schools, and sometimes our students can feel misunderstood or like they don’t fit in, I believe learning to find their unique voice and share it with the world is the work of an artist, and I’m so proud of them for the way they represent themselves and their creative work,” says de la Torre. “I have so much gratitude to be able to walk alongside these incredible young people for the years they are studying here at PUC, and when I get to meet with our alums and see where their lives are taking them, it gives me incredible satisfaction with my life.”

Outside of the awards ceremony, students participated in multiple days of screenings. They were up front for Q&A’s after their films played, and they also watched some professional films, with the filmmakers in attendance, including an Oscar-winning short documentary.

De la Torre loves seeing his students’ films play at a large audience, but more than that, he loves when they go up for the Q&A and articulate their process and inspirations. “They are incredibly bright students, and they show up with real things to say at a level of vulnerability that takes real courage in front of an audience,” he shared.

PUC film students are incredible storytellers who have important things to say in entertaining ways. De la Torre and Sigamoney are proud their students don’t just learn to make movies that look good but also learn to find their artistic signature while in the program.

“That is something they can take with them and continue to develop for the rest of their lives. It’s not something to take for granted.” expressed de la Torre. “There are a lot of voices that often pull our students away from this road. Family pressures and expectations, a church community that often doesn’t understand or encourage the arts, lack of sufficient financial support, imposter syndrome, and so much more. Very few students study film as a career because they think it will be easy. The road is anything but that.” For most of his students, expressing their creativity and stories through film is integral to their life and identity.

The awards and the showcase are just a symbol to Sigamoney. “Film at PUC with our students and our faculty are a family. We support one another. We cheer for one another. We uplift one another,” he said. “So when films win, we cheer for one another, and when films don’t win or don’t get played, we uplift one another. So the wins are really just one side of the coin for what I believe is a healthy department that values all of our students, even those who don’t get to screen or get trophies.”

The department he joined has been an inspiring, creative community since before he arrived on campus and will continue to be so for years to come. To Sigamoney, PUC’s film program is the best.

“Annual Sonscreen trips remind our students why they are at PUC,” shared Sigamoney. “Our students really do have a unique voice and style within the Adventist system, and being together, supporting one another, and having discussions on films really do define their creative voices and also bonds them with lifelong friends that they will continue to work with for a lifetime.