Recently, students waited patiently outside Jones Auditorium for the fifth Sorin Reel Film Festival and the first-ever Sorin Reel Cupcake Festival.

A small technical problem delayed the two-hour event for about eight minutes on March 25. The submissions to the festival would blast audiences through a sensory-teasing psychedelic exploration of non-local reality, fling them finger-first into an affection for fruit, and even silently treat them to the college life of a mime.

The 11 short films screened at the festival each had a unique genre, plot and style that set them apart from one another. However, they did share one common aspect that is central to the Sorin Reel Film Society‘s purpose and mission.

Each short gave hilltop film-makers the opportunity to showcase their artistic abilities and perspective in cinematography, especially among the newer and future members of SRFF, according to SRFS Founder and President Jon Wayne Martin.

“The film submissions were of the highest caliber we have ever received,” Martin, a senior theater arts major, said. “This year’s judges really had their work cut out for them.”

The panel of judges consisted of university and Sorin Reel-alumni David Delgado, Matt Benoit (winner of the first four SRFFs) and Andy Gately, a representative from the Austin Underground Film Festival. They compromised the first panel in Sorin Reel Film history to include alumni and not faculty.

Chris Bourke, a sophomore photocommunications major and Hilltop Views videographer, won first place for his film on the companionship and innocence of the youth in “Young Outlaws.” The short film captures the creativity of two young boys and their friend after they discover a video camera and old western outfits in the attic.

“I made the film with my friend Kevin Harger,” Bourke said. “We got the idea for the story from the types of things we used to do when we were growing up.”

The prize was a badge to the Austin Film Festival conference.

The first runner-up award and AFF weekend badges went to Ximena Estrada. The first-year graduate student is a member of Stag Comedy and was awarded for her comedy sketch on a course that teaches students how to be that trash-talking obnoxious guy that no one really likes in “That Guy Class.”

Gloria C. Adams received third place and an AFF lone star badge for her film “With Child,” the heartfelt story of a college student who discovers she is with child. She seeks advice from a friend who was once in her very same situation and had to make the critical decisions she will soon face.

Prize winners were part of a larger trend of SRFF first-time submitters with only two submissions from previous SRFF filmmakers Naema Showery, as well as the team of Andrew Young and Austin Talley.

Taylor Batch was crowned the first winner of SRCF with her popcorn cupcakes topped with marshmallows.

Batch said her reasons for participating were to genuinely help the new festival get off its feet, but her reasons for winning can be attributed her competitive nature.

“I was online for about two hours because I really wanted to do a theme that had the spirit of Sorin Reel,” Batch said.

The event ended successfully and it was quite obvious that the fans, organizers, bakers and filmmakers were pleased.

“Sorin Reel Film Festival V was the most successful festival yet,” said Martin, who was also the master of ceremony for the night. “Our first annual cupcake festival went extremely well and it added to the refreshments.”

Communication major Sara Rappaport was impressed by this year’s films.

“I enjoyed the festival this year,” Rappaport said. “There were definitely some [films] that pushed the envelope — let’s just say there was something for everyone.”

Communication major Kelsey Ottensen commented on the improvements in the festival from last year.

“This [festival] was a lot more polished and put together than previous years,” Ottensen said.