Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1533995
64 M PS E . O R G Logan Theatre as the location for their festival screenings. This year's program consisted of 17 short films from Germany, Czech Republic, Canada, Croatia, Spain, USA, and Estonia. Each of the two programs included a mix of narrative, animation and documentary. For the 2025 festival, Big Shoulders added a special award for sound to their awards ceremony. A panel of MPSE members were tapped to judge this award. The winner of the 2025 MPSE Excellence in Sound Award was Elis Rumma's Come Sit With Us. This film from Estonia also won the Grand Jury Award. MPSE Board member Korey Pereira was on site to present the award. The festival concluded with a reception at the Logan Theatre where the filmmakers had time to celebrate their accomplishments and network with students from around the globe. One student noted that this is one of only two festivals that offer an award for sound for short filmmakers. Awards like this are a great way to remind filmmakers of the importance of sound in the filmmaking process. Our hope at the MPSE is that other festivals will follow suit in offering an award for sound. DePaul faculty member James Choi lead an in-depth conversation with Joe Swanberg covering his filmmaking career following a screening of Joe's early film, Hannah Takes the Stairs. Come Sit With Us sound designer Timo Kiirend said, "Receiving the MPSE Excellence In Sound Award is an incredible honor, as we worked hard to have sound be an integral part of the storytelling right from the start. It was a long and difficult, but nonetheless fun process and it definitely feels rewarding being recognized. Such recognition not only validates the efforts of everyone involved but also inspires future creative endeavors." Students from around the world gather together at the Big Shoulders reception.