If you attended the Lomaland Film Festival last week, you took a journey through the woods, across the Caribbean Sea and into a room that always opens another door into a world lined with books and record players.
Held on Monday, Feb. 23 in Crill Performance Hall, the sixth annual festival spotlighted student-made films selected by a panel of alumni judges and current students. The event also guest-starred John Puckett, the editor of the theatrical film “Jesus Revolution” (2023); “House of David” (2025), a TV show on Amazon Prime; and “Homestead” (2024), a movie and series on Netflix.
Four student films won the competition, and the audience munched on popcorn outside before watching screenings of them. “In Good Hands,” which explored the magic of physical media in a digital world, won Best Documentary Short Short (1-5 min); “Called To The Caribbean,” which followed 11 college students on a summer mission trip to Trinidad and Tobago, won Best Documentary Short (5-15 min); “Rooms,” a story about new opportunities, won Best Narrative Short Short (1-5 min); and “To Sit With You,” where a young man honors his grandfather’s memory by taking the journey they never had the chance to share, won Best Narrative Short (5-15 min).
Nathan Gibbs, PLNU associate professor of media communication, hosted the event.
“In general, it’s important for students to see their work viewed by an audience,” Gibbs said. “The moments when people sigh, or breathe in, gasp or are moved by a laugh is really cool.”
Gibbs said that the purpose of the film festival is to exhibit student work.
“In a sense of being Christian, with that lens, we are thinking about how we can, as filmmakers, shed light on our neighbors,” Gibbs said.
Each film was evaluated across eight categories: originality and creativity, social significance, direction, writing, cinematography, production design, editing and sound and music. Two of the selected films were produced within a class, while the others were independent student projects, according to Gibbs.
This year, the Lomaland Film Festival changed how filmmakers submit their work. Previously, submissions went through Google Forms, but now the festival uses FilmFreeway, a platform that has become the most popular online hub for film festival entries.
“Students submitting this year are preparing their film in FilmFreeway to just be a click away from submitting to other festivals,” Gibbs said.
Weston Van Soest, a second-year media communication major, spent about two weeks editing his film, “Called to the Caribbean.”
“My favorite part about putting the film together was honestly seeing every piece — every single shot, every audio recording — fall perfectly into place,” Van Soest said.
Van Soest faced technical challenges while filming, and said that the project ended with a broken tripod. Despite these difficulties, he stressed the importance of learning through trial and error.
“You’ve got to fail to learn,” Van Soest said. “People get so caught up in trying to make the perfect video on their first attempt. The best filmmakers have had a multitude of failures — that’s how you get better.”
Puckett encouraged students to focus on storytelling and positivity.
“Our world needs more light, and these films bring that,” Puckett said. “They’re universal — showing struggles we all face, like fatherhood, suffering, and disappointment. We need to reach people with unconditional love, not try to change them.”
Ainsley Brigham, a fourth-year philosophy and media communication double major, submitted the film “In Good Hands” as a co-producer. She said the festival was a learning experience.
“If you go into [filmmaking] with the idea that you’re playing [a game], it’s really fun,” Brigham said. “Be honest about what you and your peers are capable of.”
When asked what advice he would give to students, Puckett said failure isn’t the end of a career.
“A failure or disappointment doesn’t mean your career is a failure,” Puckett said. “Behind every film, you can see an amazing storyteller wanting to blossom. They don’t have the technical skills yet, but they can become that. Seeing the unbridled potential in all of these films was really awesome. That’s why I love coming to film fests, talking to students and giving any tips that I can.”
