The sixth annual Interdisciplinary Student Film Competition took place on Wednesday, April 3, at the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center Theater. The Hofstra School of Health Professions and Human Services, in conjunction with the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies, hosted the event.

The event was sponsored by the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra, and this year’s topic focused on busting health myths.

The competition featured nine short films, all focused on debunking different common health myths. Among the topics covered were mental health, aging, sexual health and vaccination. Each film was specific to its topic, featuring vibrant visuals, music, comedy and a wide array of emotions.

After the presentation of all the films, the audience was given the opportunity to select a crowd favorite while the judges stepped out to deliberate. All the contestants were competing to win Hofstra swag bags filled with goodies, and the top three were eligible for various cash prizes.

The final results rolled in with “Physician Assistant Myths” placing third, “Vaccine Myths” in second place and “Pedestrian Myths” winning both the audience’s vote and the judge’s praise. The team was surprised as they took the win. “We’re happy and shocked; there were a lot of videos that were great, so I was, like, shook,” said Sharon Prasad, a student at the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies.

“We did a lot of research on [the] Nassau County website about pedestrian accidents, specifically Nassau County and Hempstead Turnpike, and just picked common habits and used those to build off the myths. Just common things that people would say, like, ‘Oh, I have the right of way, I can jaywalk,’” said Victoria Lamberti, a student at the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies.

When asked about the inspiration behind the film, the team referred to common occurrences again. “We wanted to show the wrong way and the right way just to show the audience what you’re doing and then what you should be doing,” Prasad said. The winning film was insightful, humorous and resonant by incorporating facts about Nassau County and pedestrian habits in just a few short minutes.