Communication Students Create Award-Winning Experimental Film, ‘DWOLMA’

Communication students developed an experimental film titled DWOLMA, under the direction of Benjamin Meade, lecturer in the Department of Communication. The film won Best Fantasy Film at the July 2024 Fantasy/Sci-Fi Film and Writing Festival. DWOLMA was also awarded Best Short Film at the July 2024 Canada Wildsound Film Festival.

DWOLMA has been accepted into five additional festivals, including Lonely Seal International Film Festival in Boston (2024), Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (2024), Kansas International Film Festival (2024), Sci-Fi Horror and Action Film Festival in Delaware (2024) and Coney Island Film Festival in New York (2025).

Meade describes DWOLMA as a creepy, experimental film shot on cameras from the 1960s. Meade says the filmmaking process resulted in a new product using old technology.

“You have one chance — you can’t see it until it is processed. You make a plan, send it off, cross your fingers, and then you get to watch it. It is a lot of work, but it is a lot of fun. We looked at a winding camera with no batteries, used in WWII combat, and a student asked where the ‘on’ button was. I work to give them something they’ve never seen. Nobody does this anymore, and there is a lot of interest from the students. Many of my students who work on these projects go on to accept jobs in filmmaking. My students rock! They keep me young.”  — Ben Meade

Audience feedback of DWOLMA from the Fantasy/Sci-Fi Film and Writing Festival:

“I loved the music that the filmmakers chose. The film itself had a nice mystery to it. It kept you guessing. It had a very stylized feel, and I like the way they edited this with the use of quick cut edits. It gave us a very 80’s vibe.”

“I liked the vintage feel of this. The grainy footage – it felt very much like a home video, but one of a lonely guy; he was kind of trekking around. A memory is what it felt like. The filmmaking technique was definitely different. But it captured the attention.”

“This was an eerie but very effective short. What set it apart for me was the creative use of the camera. The title means chaos or confusion, and this film really created this atmosphere for the central figure. I would love to see more work from this talented creative group. Well done.”

This story also appeared in the University of Arkansas News publication.