Lee University

Lee Cinema Holds Annual Film Friendsy

by Kamea Sutherland

Cleveland, TN (10/28/2026) — Lee University's cinema program recently hosted its annual 48-Hour Film Friendsy, a filmmaking competition. The event challenges teams of students and alumni to write, shoot, and edit a short film within 48 hours, incorporating a specific prop, a line of dialogue, and a randomly assigned genre.

"In addition to being a ton of fun, Film Friendsy teaches young storytellers that there's no substitute for just getting out there and making something," said Matthew Fisher, professor of cinema and Film Friendsy organizer. "There's no time for 'analysis paralysis.' You've got 48 hours to come up with a cinematic idea, write it, shoot it, edit it, and share it. Students get to go through the whole process in just one weekend. It's a great event, every time."

Three teams composed of Lee students and one alumni team participated in this year's Film Friendsy. The Lee student teams were led by faculty coaches, including Dr. Megan Moe, professor of communication, Jacob Opperman, cinema alum and media services staff member, and Stephanie Valadez, director of media services. Lee Waller, associate lecturer of cinema at Lee, acted as co-organizer alongside Fisher.

After a weekend of work, the student and alumni films were screened for the competing teams and a guest audience. The films were judged by a panel consisting of Anna Marie Brendel, assistant professor of theatre, Mary Dukes, senior lecturer of communications, and Ethan Evors, audio visual production teacher at Walker Valley High School. The judges celebrated each team's work and presented two awards, the C.U.P. (Creative Under Pressure) Award and the B.F.F. (Best Frantic Filming) Award, to the highest-achieving films.

Each team worked with the theme "Medieval Madness" and had to incorporate a small scroll and the line "Get used to disappointment" from "The Princess Bride." Films were judged based on creativity, use of dialogue and prop, overall storytelling, and technical skill.

Valadez's team won the B.F.F. Award for its film, "The Cycle of the Darkened Croach." Team members included Koriah Davis, Sara-Allison Dukes, Isabella Little, Zakary Shinholser, Bradley Stevenson, and Aiden Williams.

"As great as winning the award was, the highlight of the event was screening the film," said Stevenson. "I'd already seen it countless times in the editing room, so during the screening, I got to focus on the audience's reactions. Their laughter and gasps meant more to me than anything, because it showed me that I was doing something right."

The alumni team, consisting of Hal Arwood, Christopher Glover, Kevin Glover, Haylee Vernon, and Sean Walker, took home the C.U.P. Award for its film, "Penance."

For more information about Film Friendsy or the Lee cinema program, call (423) 614-8341 or visit leeuniversity.edu/communication-arts.

Media Attachments

Film_Friendsy_BFF_Winners.jpg

Stephanie Valadez’s team celebrates winning the B.F.F. (Best Frantic Filming) Award for its film, “The Cycle of the Darkened Croach,” during Lee University’s annual 48-Hour Film Friendsy.

Zakary

Shinholser