Bridget Flatow, Arts and Tech editor
@BFlatowCourant
Lights! Camera! Action! With each passing year, the high school’s Film Fest has evolved to offer an extravagant experience, where students step into the limelight and unleash their creativity on the big screen.
This year’s film festival occured on Wednesday, May 24. All students were encouraged to come and support the participants. “While you can watch all the pieces on our website, the only way to experience this festival is to come to the show,” said Ms. Sinski, advisor of the film club and the teacher of the filmmaking class, “it’s a beautiful, fun event. People dress up, walk the red carpet, and the wagon room is transformed into this amazing Oscar-like space.”
The festival poses an opportunity for students to show the work they have been working on all year. “Mostly in high school, but sometimes middle school participants submit movies that they’ve created in a variety of categories, narratives, documentaries, animations, PSAs (public service announcements), music videos, and open entries,” said Ms. Sinski.
Freshman, Jude Antoniou won best cinematography in the documentary category, for his film “”PLATON”. “I have always been exposed to the world of film and photography but taking filmmaking allowed me to create something of my own,” Jude said, “The class gives you little creative boundaries allowing you to experiment and make something the way you want it.”
Besides the viewer’s choice which is an award given to the movie with the most votes from popular vote, the winners are chosen from a panel of jurors. “Every year we invite a panel of jurors to watch these films, adjudicate them, and decide on which ones should earn which award in various categories,” said Ms. Sinski. This year’s jurors were Pete Vandel, who is currently an editor for ABC, and Tom Olivia, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of The All-American High School Film Festival.
The film fest not only awards outstanding projects but it allows students to step out of their comfort zone. “The festival encourages students to get themselves out there and have a space to show their project to a wider audience, which takes a lot of courage,” said Ms.Sinski. “It validates all the hard work that they do and the incredible amount of storytelling and creativity and video production that goes into these movies.”
Junior, Maddie Casey won an award for her open entry movie, “THE SHOW!”. “It’s a weird, fun movie that allowed me to be super creative and experiment with my filmmaking skills,” Maddie said, “The festival is a perfect event for anyone who wants to get out there and show off their work, but they’re a little bit afraid of public speaking.”
Interested in participating next year? You may want to start practicing editing and filming now. “If you are looking to submit a film next year, I would say that the most important thing is time,” said Jude Antoniou, “I almost exclusively completed my film at home on my laptop computer, spending as much time as possible on the editing process. Editing is where the film will come together and be something presentable, so manage your time.”
