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Notre Dame First Time Fans premieres at prestigious LA Shorts International Film Festival

Author: Tre Goodhue

Four Notre Dame media personnel pose for a photo on the sidelines of Notre Dame Stadium during a football game. They are wearing navy blue vests with the Fighting Irish Media logo. In the background, the football teams are on the field.
Four individuals in Fighting Irish Media vests pose for a photo on the sidelines of Notre Dame Stadium. A video camera is visible in the foreground, and football players in yellow and gold uniforms are on the field in the background. The stands are filled with fans wearing green.
"Believe", the latest film in the inspirational First Time Fans series, premiered at the LA Shorts International FilmFestival on July 24. Written by Notre Dame alumnus Conor Hanney, and directed by Ike Flitcraft & Tom Gault,"Believe" features the improvisational talents of actress Caley Versfelt, who won the Best Actor Award for her performance as a first time visitor to the Notre Dame campus.
 
Featured on ABC's "The Good Doctor", and a member of the first all-Down syndrome improv team (founded and directed by Hanney), Versfelt believes that actors with disabilities deserve more representation on screen.
 
"People with disabilities make up 20% of the population, yet the entertainment industry only hires 3% of them. But it is getting better. I would encourage the entertainment industry to continue on the path of hiring more people with authentic representation," she noted.
 
An educational initiative started in 2014, First Time Fans connects alumni filmmakers with current undergraduates to produce inspiring short films. Thirteen Film, Television, and Theatre majors comprised the student production crew for "Believe". The series of 18 short films is produced by Film, Television, and Theatre faculty member Ted Mandell.
 
Three people smile on the red carpet at the LA Shorts International Film Festival. The person in the center wears a blue, green, and white floral dress and holds a bouquet. The other two people wear an olive green corduroy shirt and a black collared shirt, respectively. A black banner with gold lettering and logo for the film festival is behind them.
"Believe" was made possible with funding provided by the Mary Pergola Parent and Dr. Thomas Parent Endowment for Excellence in Filmmaking, College of Arts and Letters Teaching Beyond the Classroom Grant Program, and the Notre Dame Alumni Association.
 
The LA Shorts International Film Festival ranks among the most prestigious and largest international short film festivals in the world. The festival is accredited by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences OSCAR®, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts BAFTA, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television ACCT Canadian Screen Awards, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Spain GOYA AWARDS. 69 LA Shorts filmmakers have earned Academy Award® nominations, with 18 taking home the Oscar.
 
The longest-running short film festival in Los Angeles, LA Shorts screens over 400 films and attracts 10,000 attendees each year including Hollywood industry professionals and emerging undiscovered independent filmmakers.

 

Originally published by Tre Goodhue at ftt.nd.edu on September 02, 2025.