• Baylor prof named ‘Best Director,’ feature named ‘Best Drama’ at recent film festivals

    Film and digital media professor Chris Hansen doesn’t just tell his students how movies are made; he shows them. Hansen has written and directed three films: The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Messiah (released in 2006), Clean Freak (2008), and now Endings (2010).

    His most recent effort, Endings was filmed in and around Waco on a tight budget using some of his students as well as film professionals to shoot the movie. The film has already earned two awards; in August, Hansen was named Best Director at the Atlanta Underground Film Festival for Endings, and the project was also named Best Dramatic Feature at the Southern Winds Film Festival earlier this month. The trailer is embedded below:

    Another Baylor professor, Brian Elliott, BA ’80, MA ’90, produced the film, while Baylor alumnus John Franklin, BA ’89, served as director of photography. Sharp-eyed viewers will also spot several other Baylor faces among the film’s cast. (One other fun fact: That’s Hansen’s 12-year-old daughter, Emma, playing one of the three main characters, Emmy.)

    Endings will next be screened at Dallas VideoFest on Sept. 26, then at the Secret City Film Festival in Oak Ridge, Tenn., Oct. 14-17. The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Messiah can be seen in its entirety on Hulu.

    Sic ’em, Professor Hansen!