Arts & Culture

From the Corner to the red carpet: This Hoo’s latest short film wins award

Of the careers Emily Dhue considered growing up, filmmaker might have been the most practical.

“In third grade, I wanted to be a famous actress. I had a brief stint in fifth grade where I wanted to be a dolphin trainer. Then I was lost for a while, and thought, ‘Maybe I’ll do film,’” Dhue said.

That thought is paying off. Since graduating from the University of Virginia in 2020, Dhue has started her own production company with her friend Zac Branciforte, Space Fish Productions; made music videos for bands like Not Proud To Be Here; and most recently, won the Best Horror award for her short film, “Bill,” at the HollyShorts Film Festival.

“Bill,” a black comedy horror film about a woman who murders her husband to turn him into the perfect partner, is making a run on the festival circuit, including in FilmQuest, a genre film festival held in Utah. Dhue directed the film.

Candid photo of Emily Dhue on the red carpet at a film festival

Dhue attends a film festival as her award-winning film “Bill” continues its run on the festival circuit. The short film earned Best Horror honors at HollyShorts and a spot at Utah’s FilmQuest. (Contributed photo)

But “Bill,” written by Deana Taheri, wasn’t her introduction to film festivals. As a third-year student, she participated in the Adrenaline Film Project, part of the Virginia Film Festival, where student filmmakers write, shoot, edit and screen a film in just 72 hours. Dhue and her team won the Mentor Award for their heist-themed film, “The Cell Master,” and had the movie screened at the Violet Crown in downtown Charlottesville.

When the Oakton native arrived on Grounds for her first year, she tried to steer herself toward subjects that would lead to a more traditional career.

“I took journalism classes, and I thought a lot of my writing classes were really interesting, but I didn’t have a specific ambition until I was locked into filmmaking,” said Dhue, who earned a degree in media studies.

While many UVA alumni go on to prolific careers in arts and media, like comedian Tina Fey, “The Holdovers” producer Mark Johnson or actor Emily Swallow, the University is better known for producing successful lawyers, politicians and writers. Dhue said attending UVA over a film school turned out to be an advantage.

Discovery and Innovation: Daily research. Life-changing results.

“The magic of UVA is that there are film communities,” Dhue said. “(Film professor) Kevin Everson’s class is a community. Filmmakers Society is a community. It’s much more like the real world, where you decide to go out and make a film on your own, and there are a bunch of disparate resources that you can pool together.”

Dhue was part of the Filmmakers Society, a student organization, while she was at UVA. The club proved useful to her even after graduation.

When Dhue got her degree, the world was shut down due to the pandemic. But she was determined to make films, so she began trekking four hours from Northern Virginia, where her family lives, to New York, where she had friends in the film industry. The first film she made out of school was thanks in part to Filmmakers Society resources.

“I contacted them and asked, ‘It’s summer, is anyone using their gear?’” Dhue recalled.

Behind the scenes of Emily Dhue producing a music video

Dhue produces music videos through her own production company, building on the skills and connections she gained as a member of UVA’s Filmmakers Society. (Contributed photo)

When the group said the equipment was free for her to use, Dhue and a friend packed the car, drove from Oakton to Charlottesville to pick up equipment, then back to Fort Lee, New Jersey, where they were shooting their film. At the end of the shoot, they drove back to Charlottesville to return the gear.

“They lent me thousands of dollars’ worth of film equipment,” Dhue said. “I know people who went to film school in New York, and they don’t have resources like that. UVA can be generous with its resources, and it feels quite communal.”

That’s not the only way UVA has spurred Dhue’s film career. She has taken to heart the age-old advice to “write what you know.” Her next project is about her experiences working as a server and bartender at various restaurants on the Corner.

Though she’s not making a horror film this time, her upcoming film doesn’t sugarcoat what working in the service industry can be like. “There’s a lot of camaraderie that comes from working in a restaurant. It can almost function like a social club. But there’s a dark side, too,” Dhue said.