Stranger is Typing was a hit at Brock’s box office.

The film claimed both top prizes at BrockTV’s recent RenderThis Student Film Festival — the first entry to do so in the event’s seven-year history.

Created by third-year Brock Film Studies student Alex Caucean, the film took home both the Audience Choice and Jury awards at the annual competition that features the work of both Brock and Niagara College filmmakers.

A special screening event was held on Feb. 3 with 17 short films, each between two and 10 minutes in length, shown in Brock’s Sean O’Sullivan Theatre.

In addition to claiming the night’s big wins, Caucean was awarded $1,100 for his suspenseful film about a lonely young man who gets more than he bargained for when he logs into a video chat room in search of attractive girls.

Brock Popular Culture master’s student Cory Maddalena was named the festival’s first runner-up with his film Origami, and third-year Brock Film Studies student Graham Smith claimed the second runner-up prize for his film, Nest.

Maddalena was also the winner of the festival’s inaugural Brock University Experience category, which required students to submit videos of 30 to 90 seconds expressing what the University means to them.

“Being a student at Brock for more than five years has introduced me to so many incredible places on campus,” Maddalena said of the inspiration behind his short.

“I wanted to tell the story of a student being introduced to these wonderful places; the serene escarpment that leads to beautiful hiking trails, the market, the library and, of course, the iconic tower.”

Maddalena wanted viewers to feel as though they were being taken for a tour around the campus that so many students call home.

The Experience category was sponsored by the University and is set to return in 2018.

In addition to the screenings, festival guests were treated to live music by Brock student Nicole Henderson and an art show featuring the work of Visual Arts students Alysha Rocca, Zachary White and Jessica Angelevski.

Work to organize next year’s RenderThis festival will begin in May.

Anyone interested in getting involved with the event can e-mail marketing@brocktv.ca for more information.

(Story by fourth-year Business Communications student Ja’miil Millar)