St. Olaf’s Film Production Society (FPS) will take part in a virtual, international film festival called Lift Off Global Network Film Festival from Feb. 23 to March 8. If selected as finalists, FPS will be given the chance to attend the award ceremony and pitch film project ideas at Pinewood Studios, where Stanley Kubrick filmed “Eyes Wide Shut.”
Their short film “Ship of Theseus,” directed by Dominic Presa ’25 and written by Ella Hansen ’26, is about a young man who has received a heart transplant, and begins to discover who his donor is when he adopts some of his donor’s characteristics. Filmed in spring 2025, “Ship of Theseus” contains familiar locations on the Hill, such as the President’s House, as well as faces such as former Associate Professor of Theater William Sonnega, who played the character of the donor.
“He is a fantastic personality,” Presa said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “When I was directing him, it was nerve-wracking for sure because this is a professor of mine, but also because he has a bit of background working in the film world.”
FPS has a history of collaborating with St. Olaf’s Film and Media Studies and Theater Departments. They are hoping to expand their network to engage more campus community members in the future.
“We want people to know what we are doing and that we’re doing big things,” Hansen said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “It’s a labor of love. We would do it even if we weren’t being accepted by film festivals, because we just care so much about this art form.”
While new to Lift Off Global Network, FPS is familiar with the film festival circuit and has often found success. Their short film “Predictable,” about a girl who lives the same day continuously until something disrupts her routine, won several accolades in the 2024-2025 film festival circuit, including the Audience Choice award at the Twin Cities Film Festival and Best Student Short at Paris Play Film Festival.
Lift Off Global Network has celebrated the best in indie film and has connected filmmakers across the globe since 2010. The festival is a two-round process with the first being general public votes. Starting Feb. 23, the festival’s website will platform the selected short films for the public to watch and vote on which they like best. The top five finalists from each section will move forward to be viewed and critiqued by a judges’ panel.
For those who would like to support FPS in this award season, please keep updated with all the happenings of the film festival and future films on their Instagram page @fps_stolaf.
The Olaf Messenger’s Arts & Entertainment Editor Juliet Stouffer is Film Production Society’s Vice President.
