MAX KOLB SCHOLARSHIP/FILM FESTIVAL SILVER ANNIVERSARY AWARDS

To commemorate the 25th Annual Hofstra Student Film Festival, gifts of $25 and above to the Max Kolb Endowed Scholarship during the Spring ‘22 semester will support special Max Kolb Endowed Scholarship / Silver Anniversary Awards presented at this year’s festival.

What began more than two decades ago as a one-night screening with 40 chairs set up in Studio A to showcase the best undergraduate films produced over the past year, has evolved into a two-day, annual festival in Hofstra’s John Cranford Adams Playhouse, featuring more than 30 films created, produced and directed by seniors, juniors, and sophomores.  

The 25th Annual Hofstra Student Film Festival will take place on Thursday, May 19, and Friday, May 20 in Adams Playhouse.  An awards ceremony and reception will follow the Friday screening with prizes awarded to students voted best in categories such as director, screenplay, cinematography, production design, editing, and sound design.  Films are judged by accomplished alumni of the film program and industry veterans.

Over the years, alumni who have screened their student work at the Student Film Festival have gone on to achieve success in a variety of fields within the media and entertainment industries and their films have been shown at festivals across the United States and abroad, including Tribeca, SXSW, Sundance, Cannes, Big Apple, and the San Sebastian and Toronto International Film Festivals, to name just a few.

Hofstra’s film program has also received industry accolades – most recently in 2021 when the Herbert School was named to Variety’s list of top schools from around the world, marking the fifth time in seven years that the school was recognized by the leading entertainment trade publication.  

Awards and funding assistance for students’ senior films are made possible by the Max Kolb Endowed Memorial Scholarship and donors to the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication Student Experience Fund.  Prizes are also presented to winners with the support of the corporate sponsors of the Film Festival, which have included B&H Photo Video, AVID, Final Draft, Adobe, Movie Magic, Sekonic, and Entertainment Partners. 

Max Kolb Endowed Scholarship

The Max Kolb Endowed Scholarship was established to honor the memory of Hofstra film student Max Benjamin Kolb (Class of 2003).  The scholarship is intended to assist promising students by lessening the financial burden of producing their junior and senior films, which can cost on average $5,000 to $6,000. 

From 2002 to 2017, senior television students produced the Friends of Max Kolb Telethon - a 90-minute show, featuring live music and comedy performances that raised more than $70,000 in support of the Max Kolb Endowed Scholarship.  The first telethon was a collaboration between Max’s film and television classmates, led by Laura Fu ‘02, and was produced by Dr. Peter Gershon’s RTVF 165 Advanced Television Production class.  Dr. Gershon continued to serve as the telethon’s faculty advisor until his retirement.

More than 120 Hofstra film students have benefitted from the Max Kolb scholarship since it was established, and your gift will support many more aspiring filmmakers for years to come.