Palmerfest has been one of the flagship parties in the Athens spring fest season for 20 years. With thousands flocking to the front lawns that line the street to imbibe kegs of booze, it has also earned the reputation of being one of the most notorious.
Curt Sova, however, saw more opportunities in the annual reverie than excessive drinking. He picked up his camera last spring and started filming.
“I was in a documentary class at the time, and so (my group) and I decided to film Palmerfest since it was coming up,” Sova said.
Sova, who produced the film, said the final product strayed from the original idea. The group originally intended to make two documentaries, one featuring the student perspective and another taking the side of police and administrators.
Sova said he scrapped the idea once he saw the footage.
“Based on the footage, it was kind of hard to sympathize with students,” Sova said. “It wouldn’t have come out looking objective at all.”
So Sova combined the footage into one video, roughly 20 minutes long. Three interviews were featured including a student unjustly arrested; Kent Smith, vice president for Student Affairs; and Lt. Randy Gray, head of the Athens Police Department’s mounted patrol unit.
“I’m glad they combined the two,” said Daniel Ahrens, a sophomore studying video production. Ahrens was one of more than 50 people in attendance at last night’s screening of the documentary in Bentley Hall.
“I’m glad they showed both sides and went into some of the legal aspects too,” Ahrens said.
The video will also be available online on the event’s Facebook page.
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