A worldwide screen for professor's film

Associate Professor of Art and Film Jake Mahaffy has been selected as one of 15 international filmmakers to participate in a prestigious workshop associated with the Cannes Film Festival. 

Mahaffy was invited to join the Atelier de la Cinéfondation, now in its fifth season, to further work on his next feature film, Free in Deed. The Atelier focuses on promoting the work of up-and-coming filmmakers. Past recipients have included Cannes Palme d'Or winner for short film (Romania's Catalin Mitulescu), a Camera d'Or winner (Sri Lanka's Vimukthi Jayasandara) and a Berlin Silver Bear winner (Taiwan's Ming-Liang Tsai).

Free in Deed, which will be Mahaffy's third feature-length work, is scheduled to begin filming next winter. He describes the film as the story of a man who tries to perform a miracle and fails. The Cannes workshop will offer the professor an opportunity to refine his plans for the project, to collaborate with other directors and share his work with producers and other industry leaders. 

The Cannes workshop award is the latest in a series of accolades for Mahaffy's work. His latest feature film Wellness won the Grand Jury Award for best feature film at the South By Southwest Film Festival, the biggest event for low-budget indie films in the U.S. The Washington Post also named the film as one of a handful of movies that should have, but did not, receive an Oscar nomination. He also has screened four films at the Sundance Film Festival in the past six years, as well as at other international events. 

Mahaffy came to Wheaton in 2006 to start the college's film program. He received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and his BFA from Rhode Island School of Design. He has made many short films and two feature-length films. He's currently writing a screenplay about a man who tries to perform a miracle and fails, as well as working on a series of experimental short films. Some of his work can be seen at www.handcrankedfilm.com. News about the college's film program and the work of Wheaton students can be found at www.myspace.com/wheatonfilm.