Students and filmmakers from countries as far away as Israel and from cities as close as New Orleans submitted more than 100 films into the fourth annual Jamfest Indie Film Festival, according to Festival Director Alan Marsh.  The festival, which will only feature 59 of the films that were submitted, will be held in the Pottle Auditorium and the Pottle Recital Hall from Friday, Oct. 28 to Saturday, Oct. 29.

The screenings will be shown simultaneously between the two auditoriums.  The idea for Jamfest Indie Film Festival was conceived by Ruth Rolling and Ted Hudspeth, two board members of the Northshore Regional Endowment for the Arts (NREA).

“It was an idea of Ruth Rolling and Ted Hudspeth,” said Marsh. “They tapped me and Martie [Fellom] on the shoulder and wanted us to do it.”

The festival will be held from noon to 9 p.m. on both days with the award ceremony coming at 8 p.m. on Saturday in the Pottle Recital Hall. Award categories include features, shorts, documentary features and documentary shorts with subcategories in features and shorts.  While several films were submitted from other colleges around the state, only one film from a Southeastern student will be screened.

“I don’t remember how many we had last year from Southeastern, but this year I know we have one from Stephen Pfeil,” said Marsh.

Pfeil, a history senior, also the creator of the Youtube series “Meet the Justice League,” will be presenting a nine minute long drama short entitled “Letter to Marcus Graves.”

“It’s always an honor to receive recognition for one’s work. Douglas Francis (my partner in making this film) and I are very appreciative of having ‘The Letter of Marcus Graves’ screened at the festival,” said Pfeil.  “A large portion of the other entries have come from abroad, so it’s nice to think that we local students are contenders on a more international level.”

Guidelines for entry include English subtitles for films not made in the English language, payment of an entry fee and a press kit, though only after the film is accepted.

The films will run anywhere from three minutes to 161 minutes.

“It’s very different for each one,” said Marsh. “We have documentaries that go over two hours and we shorts that are just a few minutes.”

Films screened on Friday include “Puker,” which is a documentary about Washington D.C. skateboarder Tim “Puker” Whistler. The documentary chronicles his career and his present-day return to the sport of skateboarding.  Another film, titled “Unsigned,” follows a band’s journey to find recognition in the music world with the ultimate goal of becoming signed.

On Saturday, a documentary short named “Man Eshghbazam (I am a Lovemaker)” takes a look at cockfighting in Iran. Another takes a look at Louisiana State University’s Alex Box Stadium and the story behind the name.

For a full list of screenings, plus the list of guidelines, visit www.strawberryjam.org.