Global Film Can
The W&M Global Film Can recognition (symbolized by a gold film reel canister) is designed to reflect William and Mary’s educational commitment to internationalization and the dual missions of the College’s Reves Center for International Studies and the Charles Center for Interdisciplinary Studies which together co-sponsor the festival. W&M Global Film Cans will be presented to selected filmmakers and filmmaking teams for exceptional collaboration and achievement in global film production. With this honor, W&M wants to recognize film projects that exhibit unique international creative vision and that contribute in some way to international understanding, collaboration, positive change, and good will.
A film reel canister has been chosen as the symbol for this honor, for it is the casing that has long made it possible for film to travel from place to place around the world. The film can, and the transit it enables, is an appropriate sign for the W&M Global Film Festival’s commitment to sharing, celebrating, and better understanding the film medium as it travels our globe. Furthermore, we want to recognize and honor visionary global film production projects that demonstrate the unique power of what film “can” do as a global collaboration.
The spirit of the “W&M Global Film Can” is guided, on the one hand, by the Reves Center’s mission to build on Emery and Wendy Reves’ lifelong commitment to world peace through international understanding, and, on the other hand, by W&M’s Film Studies Program and its commitment to understanding the power of film as a global medium. The W&M Global Film Can is designed to recognize the work of individuals who not only fulfill film’s singular potential for generating connections, understanding, good will, and peace among nations and their citizenries, but who in fact expand upon the possibilities for the medium to function as such.