Hobart and William Smith Colleges

9 November 2026 Media and Society Seniors to Host Short Film Festival Exploring Time and Memory

Student-curated festival invites the HWS community to reflect on life's fleeting moments through film.

As their college years draw to a close, seniors in Hobart and William Smith's Media and Society Department are turning their attention to the passage of time. On Monday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m., the Media and Society Senior Seminar will host its Capstone Film Festival, a student-curated collection of short films exploring the ways people capture, preserve and reflect on moments throughout their lives. The festival will take place in the Fish Screening Room at the Gearan Center and is free and open to students, faculty and the public.

Under the guidance of Professor Leah Shafer, students took on the role of a film acquisitions board, screening, evaluating and proposing short films before collectively selecting the final lineup.

The resulting collection explores aging and passing time through perspectives on memory, aging and the moments that shape a lifetime. For the seniors organizing the event, the theme carries particular significance as they approach the end of their own college experience and prepare for the next chapter of their lives.

The evening will feature approximately one hour of short film screenings, followed by a panel discussion led by members of the students in the class. Panelists will discuss the films’ themes, explain the reasoning behind their selections and answer questions from audience members.

The Media and Society Senior Seminar Capstone Film Festival invites the campus and Geneva communities to experience an evening of storytelling and reflection, offering an opportunity to consider how film captures the moments that might otherwise pass us by.