SMIBE Competition
“Story about a Place” Results
On a beautiful Los Angeles afternoon, the SMIBE jury met at the Neutra VDL House to deliberate the finalists of the competition. Many thanks to our jurors: Christopher Aykanian (Atypical Studio), Juan Azulay (Mattter Management), Johanna Blackley (Norman Lear Center), April Greiman (Made in Space), Paul Petrunia (Archinect), Mitchell De Jarnett (Studio), Peter Tolkin (Tolkin [...]
{More»}2009 Competition Finalists
First Place Student Entry (shared)»Matthaei Botanical Gardens
by Matthew Bendure
from University of Michigan
Synopsis: Through the vast empty and dead wooded areas surrounding the campus of the University of Michigan, stands a vast complex of gears, pulleys, and various other forms of machinery which exist in order to maintain several large greenhouse structures, aimed at maintaining and spurring natural plant life [...]
Adapt
by Allyson Oar
from University of Oregon
Synopsis: The city rarely affords its inhabitants the opportunity to outwardly express themselves. Caught up in the feeling of uniformity and ambiguity, cries for individuality manifest themselves in many ways. In the middle of redefining itself as it prepares to mature as a large city, Portland has many unique opportunities, [...]
Removing Things
by Justin Letter and Sivan Jacobovitz
from University of Michigan
Synopsis: This is Bobby of the band Farewell Republic. For Bobby, one of the most important places in his life is his drum kit. It is a space that allows him to express himself as an individual, and one he has total control over. His story [...]
Powering Forward: Kentucky’s Energy Dilemma
by Jasmon Dixon
from: Centre College, Danville, Kentucky
Synopsis: Coal, Kentuckys main source of energy, accounts for over 90% of the electricity used in the State. However, with concerns about global warming, many are considering alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power. This plenteous resource poses a conundrum impinging upon the [...]
Opinions or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Palast
by Ilai Arad, Ernst Kabel, and Bart-Jan Polman
Synopsis: Recently, Eastern Germanys fomer political headquarter, the Palast der Republik, was back in the news. The building was finally demolished, after a long discussion that became a symbol for Germanys struggle with its communist past. Using [...]
Tale From No Where
by Jo Barnett
Synopsis: Through the eyes of an individual citizen, intimacy is invested in the bricks and mortar of a left over space in the city. A private story played out in a public space animates a normally inconsequential fragment, that people pass everyday but don’t see.
A Letter from Joon-Su
by Jooyoung Chung
Synopsis: This film presents one immigrant in Los Angeles thinks oneself as an agent in urban landscape after hearing the story of failure of his friend, Joon-Su, who is also an immigrant artist.
Through the message from Joon-Su, I want to show how people as agents are revealed in urban complexity. [...]
Lassie’s Mother
by Matthew Hahn
Synopsis: An autobiographical movie, created in iClone and The Movies Game, about a farmhouse in Pleasant Valley, Bucks County, PA; a childhood, a neighbor who was the widow of a well-known author, and the offspring of the world’s most famous dog.
The jury found merit in a number of other projects.
The following films were some of their favorites.
From the General Entry Category:
Project Sky
by Alvaro Urbano, Jose Esparza Chong Cuy, Borja Conde, Daniel Fernandez Pascual
Synopsis: The video documents the realization of project-sky. Project-sky foments urban agitation! It intends to generate self-conscious reactions in [...]







