As the third quarter comes to an end, young filmmakers are preparing for the second annual Marshall film festival that will take place on May 15. This year the festival will be held at Angelika theaters in the Mosaic District.
“We decided to showcase [the films] at Angelika theaters because it’s just a much more engaging venue than Marshall…ambiance and mood are so important,” IB film teacher Pierce Bello said.
The festival, which was the brainchild of IB film student and senior Will Ferrer, had a successful debut last year. D.C film critics attended the event and served on the judging panel for the Critics’ Choice Award. Many of the critics plan on attending the event this year.
Two films will receive awards: one the Critics’ Choice, and the other the Audience’s Choice.
Though many of films submitted to the festival will be from IB film students, all students are encouraged to submit their work. Senior Jonah Lazer, who is not in a film class, plans to submit a film this year.
“I feel pretty comfortable with what I know, and even if I’m not in IB I think what I can do is on par with the people that are in IB film,” he said.
Bello welcomes students like Lazer, hoping the festival will expand beyond students taking a film class.
“I really love seeing what my kids make film-wise, especially the kids not in IB film … I’m hoping that we will be getting lots of submissions from kids who are not in IB film,” Bello said.
Senior Zakk August, whose film won the Audience’s Choice award last year, will be submitting another film this year. He is co-directing with fellow film student Sam Carpenter.
“Our film is overly cynical. It’s basically about this caveman and the failure of humanity,” August said.
Many of the films featured in the festival will later be submitted by students for their final project in IB film study. These films will be graded on their editing, directing, writing, cinematography and sound mixing according to the IB rubric.
Overall, the film festival promises young filmmakers the opportunity to showcase their work at an exciting venue, and will provide quality entertainment for spectators and students alike.