UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A rising second-year Penn State student has put his passion into practice in award-winning style, and he plans to keep producing.
Aspiring filmmaker Arda Wuyts, who is majoring in film production in the Penn State Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, had his recent short film, “Psychedelia,” showcased internationally — earning semi-finalist recognition in the Best Short Film category at the Student World Impact Film Festival (SWIFF). The festival drew more than 13,000 applications.
Judges praised the film because it “celebrates the power of creative vision, reminding us of the magic that unfolds when artistic minds collide.” In addition, they cited the film’s “stunning cinematography” and a “mesmerizing blend of visuals, sound and storytelling.” The film’s original score was composed by two Penn State computer science majors, Donovin Russell and Ben Rider, and Wuyts said the film would not have been as strong without their work.
Wuyts, who has been honing his filmmaking skills since middle school and earned awards at other festivals in recent years, was subsequently invited to participate in a SWIFF podcast series and earned special distribution access for his future films on Amazon Prime Video.
“It’s exciting and motivating,” said Wuyts, who moved to State College from Turkey a half dozen years ago. “Pretty much my whole life has been about films. At first it was working on things on an iPad and making things with family and friends — short little videos — and then it grew. I decided I wanted to go into the film industry around the seventh grade and I started working on more serious projects in high school.”
Wuyts, who is completing a remote development internship for Los Angeles-based John Fogel Entertainment Group this summer, chose Penn State after exploring many options. He evaluated several other film programs, but ultimately found Penn State’s program most appealing — and he was selected as a Schreyer Scholar as well.
This past year, he joined the Student Film Organization and served as a member of 46 LIVE, the student-driven group that produces the livestream of THON, the largest student-run philanthropic effort in the world, and related events each year. Later this summer, he plans to travel to Costa Rica to work on a filmmaking project.
“I know I’ve only completed one year, but there’s so many opportunities at Penn State,” Wuyts said. “I’m trying to make the most of them.”