Loyola Graduate Casey Shaw Wins Top Local Prize at New Orleans Film Festival
The 55-minute documentary uses expired 16mm film to capture the physical and psychological intensity of university athletes competing in China and New York.
By Ella Cox ·
Casey Shaw, a graduate of Loyola University, received the top prize in the Louisiana Features Competition at the recent New Orleans Film Festival. The award recognized his 55-minute documentary, titled Unseen Olympiads. Shaw’s work focuses on athletes participating in the 2023 FISU World University Games, an international event for university students who aspire to compete in the Olympics.
The documentary captures events from the 2023 games held in Chengdu, China, and Lake Placid, New York. The Federation of International University Sports organizes this biennial competition, which rotates locations every two years. Shaw’s film features footage from both college athletes and those who have already competed in the Olympic Games. The project emphasizes the human element of competition rather than just the competitive outcomes.
Shaw shot the entire film on 16mm film, utilizing expired stock from as far back as the 1950s. This technical choice creates a distinct visual texture that mirrors the historical nature of certain Olympic venues. Shaw noted that using aged film was a calculated risk because the material often lacks quality guarantees when purchased online. He compared this uncertainty to the risks athletes take in their respective sports, stating that the lack of guarantees felt fitting for the narrative.
The cinematography relies heavily on close-up perspectives to place the viewer in direct proximity to the action. Director of Photography Levi Porter used hand-held shots and telephoto lenses to capture detailed moments, such as water sweeping over a swimmer’s torso or a speed skater colliding with a wall. Porter often held his breath while shooting to minimize blur, a technique required for the tight framing. The visual style highlights the peak moments of physical exertion, including pole vaulters clearing bars raised by a quarter of an inch.
Sound design plays a central role in the film, with Spencer Poole creating an intricate audio landscape for each sport. Poole augmented the natural sounds with syncopated tapping rhythms that become persistent for the listener. The documentary also incorporates poetry narrated in English and Mandarin, with subtitles provided for viewers. These poetic segments aim to illuminate the specific emotions felt by athletes in high-pressure environments.
Shaw stated that his goal was to provide an experience of international sport that emphasizes global unity. He wanted to show audiences a version of the sports world that exists outside of major broadcast coverage, where athletes from over 100 countries compete without the barriers of language or background. The film portrays the anxiety, exhaustion, and glory of young people who have trained for years to prove themselves in moments that last less than four minutes.
Unseen Olympiads is currently screening in Nigeria before moving to other film festivals. The documentary is also available for streaming on the YouTube channel at youtube.com/@shawscope. The New Orleans Film Festival also awarded prizes in other categories, including Wild Horse Nine for Spotlight Film and Serious Play for Narrative Feature.
