TFA Night at the Oscars: February 24

Students in the television and film arts (TFA) program will roll out the red carpet at the fourth annual TFA Night at the Oscars party, Sunday, February 24, at 8:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall.

Guests will have the opportunity to participate in pre-ceremony interviews, watch the Academy Awards on a giant screen, and enjoy refreshments. Approximately 300 people are expected to attend.

The TFA Night at the Oscars is open to the public for $10. Students with ID will be admitted for free. Proceeds benefit TFA scholarships and course-based trips to national and international film festivals.

The TFA Oscar party is unique because it also includes student-produced short films. The student films will be shown during the event and guests will vote for their favorite picture, director, and screenwriter.

“This is an audience award,” said TFA director Jeffrey Hirschberg. “Students are very competitive but know it’s all in good fun.”

The 16 film students who put on TFA Night at the Oscars are enrolled in Hirschberg’s TFA 301 TV and Film Criticism course.

“I give them the budget and they produce it,” Hirschberg said. “They have to find the band, secure the sponsors, and arrange the food. I try to make it an entrepreneurial effort, much like producing a film.”

Three students stepped forward this year to serve as the event’s co-chairs.

“We really want people to have a good time, support our program, and engage in the excitement of the awards season—the Oscar’s in particular,” said co-chair Grace Philips.