Students eagerly gathered in the Watt Auditorium on Jan. 22 for the premiere of five films directed, written, produced and starring their classmates at Clemson world cinema’s winter film showcase. This glimpse into modern films and the future of filmmaking was complete with a red carpet, movie posters and cast and crew Q&A sessions.

The first film, “Happy Birthday, Mark,” was a brief, moody relationship drama with a twist. Despite the fact that the film was made in only one night, it’s still dramatically successful. The film was directed by Ethan Faulkner, a senior world cinema major, who was recognized at the night’s end for his involvement in every film screened during the event, among a plethora of others.

“A lot of it comes from asking people if I can work on it,” said Faulkner about how he feels working on the many projects. He also shared that he ultimately just wants to help out his peers wherever and whenever he can.

Next, bloody psychological horror found its genre home in “Early Bird” by Ayden Haas, a senior nuclear engineering major and Justus Tanner, a senior world cinema major. Inspired by the “Saw” franchise and a project deadline for John Smith’s film theory class, the cast and crew got to work on the intense, bizarre movie, a production process that memorably included making slime for a giant glue trap.

Connor Ambrose and Sam Langenfeld of Clemson’s Film Club cooked up the comedic masterpiece “Too Many Cooks.” The hilarious battle-of-the-bands comedy, with many creative camera angles, stemmed from a collaborative club brainstorming session.

“Conscious,” the penultimate film of the evening, was a psychological jumpscare by Tanner and Cole Jersek, a junior world cinema major, who also star in the film. The semi-autobiographical yet collaborative short shows just how much students love intricate filmmaking. Jersek, also the evening’s host, shared that he had learned a lot about editing techniques throughout the process.

He wasn’t alone — many students shared in the open Q&A sessions following each film that they had learned a lot while making these movies. Tanner joked that he and Jersek were both “in a creative drought, frothing at the mouth to make something.” He shared that he felt “a lot of pressure beforehand,” but that he is “thankfully surrounded by people who love what he loves.”

Last but not least was Tyler Herrman’s (‘25) “The Circle of Yeah.” Dare I say that this story of a man who is physically incapable of saying no rivals some feature-length comedies in terms of laughs. Thomas Willmot, a sophomore biological sciences major, the film’s writer and star, said “all my friends were able to come together and make a film.” He praised Herrman as a collaborator, saying that it had been “a great opportunity” to work together. Herrman wasn’t able to attend the event but said that he was really happy with the movie’s reception.

Students laughed, gasped and cheered together at the obvious labors of love that the cast and crew poured into each short film. The winter film showcase showed off the astounding potential of young artists in Clemson and beyond.