March 2, 2015

A dancer stumbles upon inspiration while walking through in an urban environment; a time-lapsed twilight elegantly unfolds across a mountain lake. Through these and other scenes, interpretations of beauty are depicted in four Film & Video student films that were among twelve finalists in the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s (PHS) Philadelphia Flower Show short film competition. The Drexel finalists included Everything is Beautiful, by John LaRussa and Christopher Newton; No Picture Can Express, by Holland Messina; Bill Rose’s Beauty Contest; and Brian Sullivan’s Beauty. The films by Brian Sullivan and John LaRussa and Christopher Newton were among the three entries that received first place in the competition. They’ll be shown on a large screen throughout the Flower Show, which runs February 28 to March 8.

The public could vote for their favorite films online leading up to the Flower Show, “Lights! Camera! BLOOM!,” and Drexel students were recognized among the 12 finalists at a February preview screening of the entries at International House. The competition, which PHS organized with the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, sought films with powerful music and imagery and minimal dialogue. The finalists were chosen based on their surprising and original approaches to defining beauty. PHS builds beauty throughout the Philadelphia region by planting trees, creating community gardens, raising healthy produce for residents in need, revitalizing parks and greening vacant land. The Philadelphia Flower Show attracts more than 260,000 visitors from around the world.