On Jan. 23, Sam Houston State University student Emily Perez showcased her short film, “Moontime,” to the mass communication department. The film was one of two to receive a $10,000 grant from the Vance and Karen Howard Foundation. 

The awards, financed by Mr. and Mrs. Howard, aim to help foster creativity and innovation among students within SHSU’s mass communication department. 

They’re typically granted to two film production students to help finance personal filmmaking projects. Perez credits the grant with helping the film’s production by allowing her to be less restrictive with the story compared to a typical student film production.  

Utilizing a fever dream-like blend of comedy, “Moontime” is a 17-minute allegorical and semi-educational take on the four phases of a woman’s menstrual cycle. Presenting them as outlandish and, at times, larger-than-life caricatures, such as an A-list celebrity or a bad therapist.   

“Moontime” also presents symptoms that accompany the four phases with either the same exaggeration as the characters (e.g., an elaborate dance and musical number presenting the life of an egg) or something more subdued (just explaining it within dialogue).  

In creating the film, Perez hoped that, by using comedy, it would help to present and educate people on a topic that is usually awkward and left unspoken. In turn, fostering a more productive understanding of the subject.  

In urging future students interested in applying for a future edition of the awards, Perez suggests that novice filmmakers “look into an idea you have in your head already … think about, ‘What do I want to do if I had the money for it?’ and then expand on that.”