Each semester, a senior from Biola's Cinema and Media Arts department writes and directs a film under the university’s name. The premiere of Nolan Wilson Goff's “Kids on the Run,” on Dec. 9, 2011, attracted hundreds of students, adding another screening to the schedule.
 
The film begins with its main character, Banks, entirely unhappy decides to run from his life, in search of more than mediocrity. He meets Amanda, a waitress who longs for more in life. The two set off searching for meaning. After stumbling upon a bonfire in the middle of the desert — and after a thrilling and exciting turn of events — Banks wakes up the following morning to a crisp desert landscape and new acquaintances sleeping nearby.
 
With its artistic cinematography and simple storyline, “Kids on the Run” was written and filmed with the intent to inspire conversation, according to Goff and the film’s director of photography, junior Nathan Ingalls. 
 
“Film should provoke further thought,” said Ingalls.
 
“Kids on the Run” illustrates a physical and emotional journey, with the road as a recurring motif. As Goff wrote the script, he used the road as his inspiration. The road in the film serves as a metaphor for the longing of something more in life and the constant search for meaning.
 
“I found myself in a tough place spiritually,” said Goff. “Through this film, I wanted to explore this mundaneness.”  
 
Leaving the ending of the film open to interpretation, Goff and Ingalls hoped that the audience would define the ending for themselves through contemplation of the film as a whole. 
 
The film has a total run time of approximately twenty minutes. Production of the film took six days overall and students spent two weekends filming in Lancaster, Calif. for the film’s desert scenes. 
 
The cast and crew were also given the opportunity to step out of their specific roles. During a particular scene within the film, the entire cast and crew had been given cameras to help shoot a scene from a first-person perspective, giving the film a wild feeling that both Goff and Ingalls sought to convey. 
 
Watch the "Kids on the Run" trailer:
Written by Alethia Selby, Media Relations Intern. Edited by Abbey Bennett, Media Relations Intern. For more information, please contact Jenna Bartlo, Media Relations Coordinator, at jenna.l.bartlo@biola.edu or via phone at 562.777.4061.