Evangelia Artemis-Gomez has just finished her freshman year in Illustration. She works for a company that publishes superhero comics. She recently produced “Corrupt Colour,” a quirky and intriguing movie completed in cooperation with a recent grad from the SUNY Purchase film program.
The film just won the also quirky but well established LA WebFest’s award for best 2023 web documentary, beating out nine other competitors. Artemis-Gomez also appeared in it, and illustrated the closing credits.
Huh? Rewind!
“Corrupt Colour” is the name of Artemis-Gomez’ friends’ band. The company that created LA WebFest, one of the first to host award events for online video, describes this true-to-life film this way:
“Corrupt Colour” follows self-proclaimed internet popstars Emily and Gia, as they set up their first live concert. When no one arrives for the concert, they must reckon with their true place in the public eye. The two embark on a humorous journey dealing with identity in the digital age that questions: “Who am I trying to be?”
In 2021 Artemis-Gomez was helping Emily and Gia put together their first show while her partner Carmen Green filmed the production for a school project. “When the show turned into a nightmare we realized this was documentary material beyond a [class] assignment.
“The premise is that during the pandemic, many people who believed themselves to be internet celebrities fell into a delusion — that they were as popular in person as they were online. Many of us fell into the internet as a way to connect. It became difficult to tell the difference between online and reality.
The subjects of the documentary, says Artemis-Gomez, spent so much time cultivating online personas that they didn’t realize their lack of real-world-pull.
“When the live event went awry we decided to turn it into a documentary to show the trials and tribulations of our generation’s relationship with fame, the internet, and identity.”
The rough project, shot handheld, edited with no in-scene jump cuts, and with sound so casually recorded that the film is subtitled for clarity, was nominated for four awards — best performance of an actor in a short, best music, best director of a short — and it won for best documentary.
The band’s audience gets bigger in shows that follow. “It’s an underdog story,” Artemis-Gomez says.
Artemis-Gomez and her friends are now trying for wider distribution. “We’re doing the documentary circuit. If it doesn’t go in that direction, we might open it to the public.” Corrupt Colour could also be the basis for a scripted movie.
High hopes for what was originally her partner’s film class assignment at SUNY Purchase.
Artemis-Gomez also works for Tsuburaya Productions, a Japanese production company responsible for the superhero Ultraman. She writes articles for its website and goes to comic conventions to speak on panels.
“I’ve been in the entertainment business for a few years,” she says. “At FIT I’m learning animation and drawing skills.” She sells her own comic book series at events.
Artemis-Gomez grew up near campus. Her father is CEO a transmedia production company and her mother a cartoon and comic book colorist. “My mom would take me to the Museum at FIT as a kid. After high school, I worked for three years and then came to FIT. I felt it called to me.
“It’s a really amazing program,” Artemis-Gomez says about the Illustration major. “I’ve grown so much having been here for one year. All my professors have helped me and work so closely with me. They don’t think I’m annoying for staying after class and chatting with them.”
Follow Evangelia Artemis-Gomez on IG @evangelullu.
Click here to learn more about the Illustration and Interactive Media majors in the School of Art and Design.
All images used with permission.