From its inception four years ago, the film festival has paved a new way of expression for the IB Film Studies II class.
Since becoming a class, IB Film Studies II has not only taught the deeper nuances of film and film making, but has also brought together people with a common love for film.
“I took film because watching and making movies is one of my biggest interests,” senior Abby Spira said. “When I heard there was a film class here I jumped at the opportunity.”
The second year of IB Film Studies delves deeper into the process of creating a movie, hence why the class is responsible for organizing the festival.
“In IB Film II the focus is really on production,” IB Film Studies teacher Pierce Bello said. “We think about how we can make movies that are as original and creative as possible.”
Organizing the film festival is integrated into the class curriculum, as everyone takes on different roles.
“It is part of the HL II fourth quarter assignment to put together this big film festival,” senior Adina Anand said. “My role is compiling the films into one big show, and other people have jobs such as marketing or outreach.”
The production process requires many dedicated man hours to create one final product.
“When you watch a movie you don’t realize how much time each shot takes,” Spira said. “In reality each shot takes so long to set up and the process as a whole is a lot more difficult that many think.”
The festival draws entries from film programs across the county. Anand, who will be entering this year, spent almost an entire year on her film “Parallax”, which was shot in Virginia and India.
“I made a film that I started last summer and continued through December of last year,” Anand said. “I’ve been admitted with this film to go to the state film festival, so I think I have a pretty good shot on getting into the GCM festival.”
While the date for the film festival has yet to be announced, it is expected to be held at the end of May at the Angelika Film Center located within the Mosaic District.