From February 13th to the 17th, several areas in the front of The Woodlands were taken over by the Inspire Film Festival (often abbreviated to IFF). This five-day-long event is a documentary based film festival that was established in 2017 by Jane Minarovic, who happens to be a Cooper parent. This year, there were 15 feature films and 9 short films. The subject matter ranged from a couple in Detriot turning abandoned lots into apiaries to harvest honey, to a female-led underground hospital in Syria treating patients from nearby bombings. Needless to say, each and every film was meant to inspire, and they all did just that. 

The first day opened with a short film screening at Waterway Square, where viewers could watch some incredible shorts under the night sky. This year’s showing happened to be accompanied by the cold and wind, but that didn’t stop people from taking time out of their Thursday evenings to enjoy the shorts. Following this event was the VIP party for all patron pass holders. Here, festival-goers were treated to a fashion show. Each gorgeous dress in the show was based on the feature films showing that weekend, and a few of the models were Cooper students. 

The next four days were packed with movie showings in theatres at Cinemark 17 and XD and Market Street, as well as in makeshift theatres set up in the ice rink. Another special aspect of the Inspire Film Festival are the panels that occur after many of the showings. Many of the documentary subjects and directors are invited to attend the festival and talk a little bit about their experience following a screening of their particular film. It is so incredibly powerful to get the opportunity to see and speak to the very people you saw on-screen moments before. 

Late in the afternoon on Sunday, the Howard Hughes Corporation presents the Inspire Award to the film that inspires attendees the most. Passholders are encouraged to vote throughout the weekend in order to select what film should win this award. This year, a short film called Beneath the Ink took home the Inspire Award. This short, directed by Cy Dodson, tells the story of Billy Joe White, a tattoo artist in Ohio whose shop offers free coverups of racist tattoos to help people leave their past behind if their views have changed. On Friday the 14th, both Cy and Billy Joe came to Ms. Wiggins’s film class to talk about their experience making the film and how it has affected their lives. Their visit was extremely inspiring and enlightening, giving students the opportunity to speak to people involved in the film world.