The annual 2025 Insomnia Film Festival is brewing
Photo courtesy of Geneseo.edu
The Insomnia film festival screening is a great presentation to attend on GREAT Day due to its raffle and free refreshments!
This past weekend, the eleventh annual Geneseo Insomnia Film Festival (GIFF) began on Mar. 28 at 5:00 PM. The registered teams of up to four people— possibly consisting of Geneseo students, faculty, and alumni —completed their permitted 24 hours to write, film, edit, and upload their three-minute short films.
While GIFF may be a Geneseo tradition, some may be unaware of what it is, but don’t fret; the premise is quite simple— as long as you ignore the looming time limit. Individuals could register to participate from Feb. 3 until Mar. 28, securing their spot in the festival (and a free t-shirt). Still, the overall creative process must wait until a list of elements is revealed on the day of GIFF. To ensure each group only has 24 hours to create their films, they must pick at least three elements to include from this list, each characterized by unique hashtags.
Some of these elements ranged from someone only speaking in a British accent “#TeaTime” to filming in Milne Library “#WeFinallyHaveALibrary,” or having a wide-angle shot “#WholePicture.” These sometimes silly elements help prevent cheating and kickstart the writing process.
Nathaniel D’Amato, a junior English/Creative Writing major who participated in the festival alongside other members of The Lamron, attributed the limitations as his favorite process, stating, “The limitations are always weird, but doable, so they spruce up the normal creation process to a degree, which makes it more refreshing.” He continued, “I came into this with an idea of what the film I would make could be, but the guidelines threw me for a spin. It was a lot more fun than I anticipated to have my preconceived notions change.”
Keeping the process refreshing is essential, as participants are racing to produce a product they are proud of, which can be very difficult in the short 24-hour timeframe. Yet, the stressful window can come with its rewards, both in physical form and, of course, bragging rights.
GIFF does not officially conclude until the Awards Ceremony, which will take place on GREAT Day, Apr. 23, at 6:00 PM in Wadsworth Auditorium. Before this, however, a panel of faculty members will judge each team’s film in five categories: impact, cinematography, story, and gestalt, which are explained slightly further on Insomnia’s Geneseo website and ranked with a score of zero to five. During the GREAT Day festivities, participating teams, friends, and maybe even faculty members who received a “Golden Ticket” can enjoy the refreshments provided by Campus Auxiliary Services (CAS) and experience a screening of all the qualifying films.
Additionally, the GREAT Day screening will be where the winners are announced. Prizes, such as gift baskets, are awarded to the top three placing teams, and prizes from local vendors are raffled off, which is where the “Golden Ticket” can be redeemed as long as the faculty member invited and the participating student who gave away the ticket attend the event both attended.
The Awards Ceremony is a fantastic opportunity to see the films each team worked so hard on and learn which team won. Most importantly, you do not have to be registered to attend; all are welcome and encouraged! No classes are scheduled on GREAT Day, so clear your calendars, bring a friend, and head to Wadsworth Auditorium at 6:00 PM on Apr. 23 to watch some fun amateur film!