Backlight shines a spotlight on student films
Cannes, Sundance, Tribeca.
All are top of mind when thinking of premier film festivals, but for film students in Georgia, Backlight is the place to screen and be seen.
The Backlight Student Film Festival celebrated its fourth year at the University of Georgia’s Tate Student Center on March 29 and 30 with screenings, panel discussions, awards, networking, and—what would a film festival be without one?—a red carpet.
While the festival has its roots at UGA, it invites undergraduate and graduate student filmmakers from across Georgia to submit films and welcomes the community to join in the festivities.
The Origins
In 2021, Rayna Sklar and twin sisters Aleesa and Cate de Castro were brainstorming ways to spotlight the films they and their classmates were creating in the Department of Entertainment and Media Studies at UGA’s Grady College.
They decided to start a film festival through their work with student organizations. But it was only a matter of time before the fledgling effort evolved into a nonprofit organization complete with a board of directors, sponsors, and participation from around the state.
“Backlight started as a platform to give students the ability to showcase their work, and I think it’s something we’ve seen continue to inspire and encourage future filmmakers,” says Cate de Castro, a 2023 UGA graduate who now works as a West Coast Page with NBCUniversal.
Sklar and the de Castros researched other film festivals, and the de Castros attended Grady’s Cannes Film Study Abroad program in the summer of 2022.
“It definitely opened our eyes to that space,” Cate says. “We really saw the impact of networking at this event and how we could elevate our screenings to make them feel top-notch.”
Student-alumni connections
What sets Backlight apart is how alumni and students work together to host the annual event.
Sklar and the de Castros learned so much in the first two years directing Backlight that they wanted to flatten the learning curve for student organizers coming behind them. So they stayed involved after graduating to provide insight and establish new industry connections. In 2024, they registered Backlight as a nonprofit LLC, and today, the alumni board has grown to include nearly 12 recent graduates.
While the student board works on logistics locally as the boots on the ground, the alumni board is charged with long-term growth objectives, recruiting sponsors, and collaborating with the student board.
Each student on the executive committee is paired with an alumni mentor from the non-profit. Between an active Slack channel, a running-board master document, and a monthly Zoom meeting, the students and alumni are in constant contact.
“The de Castros are awesome because, yes, they are professionals, but there’s a human element first,” said Timi Meade, the 2024-2025 president of the student board. “They are really good at making sure that there’s not a power dynamic and that no one’s shy.”
The de Castros also host virtual office hours to help students’ career paths.
“You can come to them with Backlight questions, but you can also ask them about how to apply to a job or what you need to do when you go to L.A.,” Meade says. “They’ve passed on a lot of job opportunities and internships on our Slack channel, too, which have helped a lot of students on the board with referrals.”
Backlight 2025
But the real excitement happens at the end of March when the festival starts. Saturday showcases the screenings and awards in front of appreciative audiences. And Sunday is all about celebration as the participants dress in their finest and strut along the red carpet with their cast and crew in front of a flank of cameras. Between the two days, there is networking occurs among student filmmakers, recent graduates, and the industry professionals who support the event.
In just four years, Backlight has more than doubled in size. In 2021, Backlight considered 60 film submissions from UGA students, selected 11 films to screen, and hosted 200 attendees. In 2025, the festival drew 120 submissions from student filmmakers across the state competing for a coveted spot among the 11 selected films to screen, before an estimated attendance of nearly 500.
For the filmmakers who do have their films screened, it can mean the world.
“It feels so fulfilling to see so many students so proud and excited and smiling and give them this space to have their film screened in a full theater,” says Aleesa de Castro, now an assistant to the department head at William Morris Endeavor in Los Angeles. “They are living their dream, and that’s the coolest thing ever. Backlight will always be worth it just for that feeling.”
Covering Backlight Film Festival
Backlight Student Film Festival isn’t only an opportunity for young filmmakers. Students studying journalism, public relations, and other disciplines can also find valuable learning opportunities through the festival.
Dodie Cantrell-Bickley, senior lecturer at Grady College, and Andrea Hudson, lecturer, assign projects covering the film festival, resulting in episodes of the talk show Grady Night Shift.
Hudson teaches an entertainment reporting course, and Cantrell-Bickley advises a group of volunteer visual content producers. She teaches them skills for broadcast and social media.
For Grady Night Shift, students pitch stories, interview filmmakers, write features, photograph the event, and produce two episodes highlighting the festival.
“I have been grasping opportunities to improve my skills and become familiar with the news media. The opportunity to cover Backlight is, while challenging, also exciting. ” – Shad McMillan, first-year journalism student
Cantrell-Bickley says the project simulates real-world working experiences.
“The festival provides a good focus on something that’s timely, driven by the calendar, and focused on deadlines and particular content areas.”
Shad McMillan, a first-year journalism student who volunteers for the Grady Night Shift, set up a red carpet interview station during the festival.
“I have been grasping opportunities to improve my skills and become familiar with the news media,” says McMillan. “The opportunity to cover Backlight is, while challenging, also exciting.”
In addition to the talk show, students can sharpen their photography skills through a Red Carpet Photo Workshop and practice their elevator speeches with industry professionals through Pitch Perfect: Networking for Film Festivals.
Episodes of Grady Night Shift can be streamed on the Grady Newsource Facebook page or YouTube channel.
Written by: Sarah Freeman
Photography by: Chamberlain Smith
Video by: Krista McKinney
Design by: Andrea Piazza