Matt Green, director of TMU's Cinema & Digital Arts program, was in Orlando this month to accept TMU's second place award in the "Best Picture" category of the International Christian Film Festival.
The Master’s University’s most-recent feature film finished second in the “Best Picture” category at the International Christian Film Festival in Orlando this month.
“The Descent,” a thriller based on events described in Revelation 9, was worked on by nearly 60 TMU students and represents the Cinema & Digital Arts program’s second full-length feature.
Matt Green, the program’s director, was on-hand to receive the award in Florida, with TMU finishing behind only “The Shift,” which had a reported budget of $6.4 million and received a theatrical release.
“We were up against a lot of big movies,” Green said. “It was extremely humbling and encouraging to finish second. The Lord was very gracious. It was a big encouragement for what we’re doing at the school.”
Green said he hoped that every student who worked on “The Descent” came away emboldened.
“I hope they realize they can actually do it. Big feature films seem daunting. They could think, ‘I can’t do that.’ But yes they can. In today’s day and age, finishing a full-length feature has never been more accessible. That’s a big thing I’m preaching to students: Go make a movie. You can do it.”
The CDA program plans to produce another full-length feature in spring 2025. The plan is to shoot the movie during the semester, over spring break, so that it can be part of a student’s normal class load. Green expects at least four communication courses will contribute to the project, with students once again playing significant roles in the camera department, production design, and post production, among other things.
“The Descent” was well represented in other categories at the International Christian Film Festival on May 1-4. Green (Best Director) and TMU professor Jefferson Henson (Best Cinematography) were both nominated for awards. Green and Anthony Tyler Quinn were nominated for Best Screenplay, and Dan Sachoff for Best Supporting Actor.
Quinn and Sachoff were two of the industry professionals that TMU students had the opportunity to work alongside on this project.
To learn more about the Cinema & Digital Arts program at TMU, visit masters.edu/CDA.
