Since 1981, NYU faculty have selected films from the Sight and Sound film class for Tisch sophomores to be screened each semester, illuminating the fresh talent of students within the renowned undergraduate program.

This semester’s ceremony kicked off at 6 p.m. on Feb. 5 where 51 films were screened. Separated into three different rooms in 721 Broadway, there was a diverse spectrum of genres including filmmaking, studio and documentary. Students compete in each course to get the Viewers Choice Award, an award voted on by the audience at the end of the showcase. Faculty count the votes and winners will be announced this Monday, Feb. 8 on the Kanbar Event Series Facebook page.

Crowds became reverent as they filled each screening room, getting swept up in the style of each film. Laughter often projected through the walls, with a particular commotion being emitted from the screening “Le Dieu de l’Amour,” a comedy directed by Wyatt Nelson. The film follows a married couple that encounters a problem within their relationship as they learn about an endangered tree species. Interestingly, sock puppets play the couple, a choice that pleased the crowd tremendously.

While laughter adorned Nelson’s screening, a more serious tone emerged during “I Know No Country,” an inspiring documentary directed by Antonio Salume. The film is based around Mexican-American poet Paco Marquez, a poetry teacher at Brooklyn Dreams Charter School. While he depicts poetry as the essence of his life, the audience gets a taste of the cultural differences between America and Mexico.

“I wanted the audience to really get into this poet’s world and appreciate the power of silence and thoughts — to get into the process of what writing poems is like,” Salume said.

The film revolves around Marquez’s poem “I Know No Country” and how it correlates with his work, activities and daily life.

In the next room over, a beautifully orchestrated dark comedy dubbed “How You Came To Be!” was screened. Directed by Alejandro Cervantes, the film follows a 19-year-old college girl who films a video about herself for her unborn baby before giving it up for adoption. The film is comprised of one single take. While the girl is describing moments in her life, a film crew steps in and changes the set design to suit her descriptions. The actors go from changing the fabrics in the background, adding in a dining set and taking out chairs, all while strategically timing it to the speed of the girl’s story. The movie acts as a testament to the kind of effort and ingenious thinking that’s being bred in the film program.

“The hardest thing was timing, and getting the scene transitions fast enough that it wouldn’t affect the pace of the comedy,” Cervantes said. “We did about 10 rehearsals and takes to get the one take down.”

A version of this article appeared in the Feb. 8th print edition. Email Andrea Aniceto-Chavez at [email protected].