Search - Brittany Fredeen

The SonScreen Film Festival, a screening and showcase event for filmmakers, took place at the end of April. Created by the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist church, this annual event highlights Adventist and Christian young people and adult professionals in media and film. This project began in 2002 with the goal of nurturing Christian filmmakers in their craft, career development and their spiritual life. For the first time the film festival took place in Simi Valley, California home of the Adventist Media Center. Stephen Eyer, visual arts instructor at PUC and a member of the executive planning committee for SonScreen, attended the festival with six PUC students and three other visual arts professors. Eyer felt that exposing students to the materials already in place was a good idea. “It is good for students to see what the church has and realize there is a place where they can make powerful stories,” he said. Attendees had the opportunity to meet filmmakers and people in the professional world. When participants were not watching film screenings they could attend workshops for directing, editing, producing, and screenwriting. Film student Tim de la Torre thought the weekend was useful for making connections. “The...

PUC students brought their life experiences before peers during student week of prayer. The third week of spring quarter featured nine students who spoke about the six different spiritual disciplines, inspired by Richard Foster’s book, Streams of Living Water: Celebrating the Great Traditions of Christian Faith. Student speakers related stories from their own lives to the book and challenged their friends to use their gifts and talents for God. Students Jordin Montgomery and Martin Surridge started the week out strong. They reminded students that others struggle for freedom and then told students how they can make a difference. Jordin and Martin’s conviction extended into Nicole Wilson and Krita Brieno’s talks on Tuesday. Both Nicole and Krista encouraged students to accept their talents. Nicole said, “Embrace those gifts God has put in your heart and do something about them—take action.” On Wednesday morning, Solomon Mendoza enthusiastically shared with students how important it is to give your heart to Christ. He said, “I was excited about this topic because it is the most profound study—God becoming a man.” He talked with students about letting go of their preconceived ideas about their lives and not to settle for a cottage when God is...

Godfrey Miranda, a 2005 PUC graduate, returned to share his original musical composition with students at the first colloquy of spring quarter. His homecoming featured a successful first performance of In the Beginning: a Symphonic Suite. Performed by the PUC Orchestra and conducted by Rachelle Berthelsen Davis, this five-part movement is based on the five themes of John Milton’s book Paradise Lost. The theme of each movements portrayed a section of the book using both visual and sound elements. The text and graphic representations displayed on the overhead screen followed the story behind each movement. One movement featured a jazz duet between the clarinet and flute representing Satan’s temptation of Eve at the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Before the first and fourth movement, Miranda’s enthusiasm for the subject barely kept him in his seat and he jumped up to explain the emotions and thoughts tied into each individual work. This was the first time Miranda heard the entire piece played live (he composed it using his computer and synthesized instruments), and his excitement was evident before and during the performance. When the performance ended Miranda’s reaction was pure joy. “Oh wow! That was rich,” he said. “The...

PUC alumna Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson recently published her first book-length translation, Rainbow Over Hell. Currently a free-lance writer, this 1997 PUC graduate shares with English-readers the true story of a man transformed from an assassin to a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. Written by award-winning Japanese author Tsuneyuki Mohri, Rainbow Over Hell was printed by two major Japanese publishing houses in 2005 and is now available for the first time in English. Rainbow Over Hell describes Saburo Arakaki’s journey after joining a group of militants at 18 during the 1944 war in Saipan. After the final surrender of Saipan he was arrested for assassinating two men thought to be corroborating with the U.S. Air Force, and was sentenced to death. During his time in prison he discovered the Bible and was so transformed by his new faith that his own warden petitioned for his release. In 1954 Arakaki received a full pardon from President Eisenhower and returned to Japan, where he became a Seventh-day Adventist minister. Fujimoto-Johnson sees the story as valuable on two levels. “This book is historically significant as a Pacific War account, but just as importantly, it’s also a message of hope.” She adds, “It was a privilege to translate...