Winter Film Festival
Congratulations to all of our filmmakers on their wonderful work!
Let Me On!
by Lucas Monge (7th grade)
a 40 year old professor walks to the bus stop hoping to get on the bus. After countless failures trying to get on does he ever make it?
Body & Soul
by Emmy Perry
A strange young girl dismissed by her peers gains an intriguing new friend in a cemetery dressed as a ghost, or so she thinks.
Middle School Films
High Speed
by Helena Garner (7th grade)
A teenage spy breaks into Katie’s house and steals her homework. Katie calls the cops but will she get her homework back in time to turn it in?
My Pop Doll
by Caitlin Roberts (7th grade)
Not all is well in the Roberts' California suburb home, when 12-year-old Tasha steals her 15-year-old brother Cole’s pop doll. Cole has to battle his sister to get the doll back.
Upper School Films
A Basketball Game
by Cooper Devries
Two brother play a competitive game of PIG and even through one brother is much younger than the other, can he defy the odds and beat his older brother?
Eden
by Winston Verdult
Confined to their own home, three naive sisters patience and self-control is tested as they stray from curiosity and human desire.
A Wet Comeback
by Cailyn Fisher (7th grade)
On the grass field of a backyard, a small, un-athletic and innocent little girl is faced with a water balloon fight against her monstrous brother. Watch how this tiny girl tries to find a way to make a comeback of this fight, or be defeated like many times before.
The New Friend!
by Annika Tufo (7th grade)
When a new dog is dropped off at day care Barnabas decides to make his move and get a new friend. Will he succeed and get a new BFF?
The Mixup
by Christopher Frye (7th Grade)
Russell, a 14-year-old boy is walking to school with his older brother Mitchell on a sunny morning until he realizes he’s missing his homework. He begins to panic as he sprints home, he then realizes that all brothers have mixed up their work!
Scribble Warz
by Campbell Healy (7th grade)
A young girl gets frustrated with her homework and the homework tries to escape!
The Shadow
by Annika Garner (7th grade)
Two best friends go on a camping trip expecting to have fun but get scared. They don’t expect to bring back a living, breathing thing...but they do!
The Homework
by Alex Fluman (7th grade)
A boy wants to bring his homework early to school but has trouble with the local mail man.
Bon Appetit
by Claire Cho (7th grade)
In a suburb in sunny southern California, stubborn, 12-year-old, Reagan, messes up her kitchen trying to bake a cake for the first time by herself.
Homework in a Bottle
by Lucas Caggiano (7th grade)
Julius's homework is accidentally crammed into a bottle and launched out into the ocean.
Hatchet
by Claire Martin (7th grade)
The 10 year old, rambunctious, and nerdy Jasper is reading the book Hatchet, and when he leans over and gets sucked into his book! Now he is in the middle of nowhere and has to figure out how to get back home.
Magical Homework
by Ella Kyle (7th grade)
In Emma's room the 12 year old girl who wishes homework never existed is granted a wand and spell book. When cursed away will she be able to get it back? Or have to tell the teacher she doesn't have her homework.
Super Secret Snack Stash
by Ryan Chin
A sneaky, young girl is steals snacks to eat later. Eager to eat it, she hides it for later, but although she hid it, her snack loving dad is in her way.
Quarantine Vacation
by Audrey Kim (7th grade)
In a small house a father wants to throw a pool party for his sad daughter while trapped in quarantine. He’s determined to do it, but their backyard might not be ready yet...
The Monster that Ate My Homework
by Drake Harvey (7th grade)
Jimmy has just finished his homework and does not want a bad grade but there is a new creature that eats homework prowling around the house...
She Did It!
by Jacqueline Kalvoda
An 11 year old straight-A student has been assigned one of the biggest essays all year and she wants to make sure it is completed on time, but she’s picked the wrong time to fight with her troublemaker of a younger sister. Though her younger sister is annoying at home, this student would immediately regret this fight if she knew her precious homework would be destroyed.
Misunderstanding
by Eloise Pooler (7th Grade)
Hailey, a responsible and organized student, was about to finish her homework when her mom calls her downstairs. Upon her return she sees her dog standing over one remaining piece of her homework and Hailey assumes her dog ate her homework...did he?
Happy Birthday
by Jerry Gao
Today is Jerry’s birthday, and every year his mom and him always try to prank each other, Jerry has finally had enough, and this year he wants to put it to an end by pulling off the worst prank ever on his mom in the house.
Skate Experience
by Blake Scheel
A teenage boy living in a small beach-town with dreams of learning to skateboard sets out to try to learn the most famous trick of all, the kick flip. He knew the trick wasn't going to come easy, but it was much harder than he imagined.
The King of the Bed
by Ciara Robertson
A young playful boy must face off with his dog in order to get his bed back so he can go to sleep.
All the World's a Stage
by Kate Lee
During a peculiar performance, a cunning master puppeteer manipulates a helpless young girl's every movement through the strings of a mysterious marionette only to find out that she is not the only being controlled.
Disguised Happiness
by Gabby Eifrig
Charlie Eifrig is a young boy with a passion for mountain biking but his parents aspire for him to be the next Beethoven. When he gets invited to a national mountain biking tournament that is scheduled for the same day as his piano recital, he must find a way to be at both places at the same time with the help of his friend.
Late Night Study Session
by Amy Na
A girl working on her school paper late at night sees a picture of her ancestor in her family album and starts "hallucinating".
The Burglary
by Lilly Nolet
A three person heist goes sideways when the gang is interrupted.
Dusty Drinks
by Riley Harrison
On a swelteringly hot day in a dry alley, two thirsty kids compete for the only source of water around.
That Rad Rockin Radio Song
by Elise Peffer
With their precious radios, two die hard 80's music fans anxiously wait, as they do every week, for their Radio Station to announce the song of the week after they have requested their favorite song for months.
Basketball Dreams
The Chase
by Aaron Kim
A brave young kid wants to retrieve an item a thief stole from his house.
How to Ask a Girl Out
by Max Page
A teenage boy, lacking the courage to ask his crush on a date, looks to the internet for advice on the situation.
Bake Sale
by Johnny Iavarone
Two friends have a dispute over who is bringing brownies to the bake-sale, so they both rush to be the first ones to present their dish to the head of the sale.
The Money Brawl
by Ryan Reda
On a sunny day two kids in a park find money, but only one can take it!
by Jamil Mckean
A determined basketball player is troubled finding motivation to continue playing until he has a dream.
The Resilient Boy
by Jack Wagner
A 14 year old boy is playing basketball in his backyard when he sprains his ankle. While recovering, he finds another way to keep getting better until he can get back on the court.
Grandmother
by Eva Dandel
Lonely and depressed after the loss of her grandmother, a girl uses their shared love of baking to reconnect with her grandmother's spirit and overcome her grief.
The Silver Surfer
Toyo
by Chloe Thompson
Toyo, an old man that has been running his street food stand called Izakaya Toyo for 26 years, has gone through many hardships in his life such as abuse and lack of money but has still persevered even when it meant using unconventional methods. It is seen as a high honor to be called funny is Osaka and Toyo is considered a comedian.
Jon Stewart is a comedian and writer that commentates on how his generation "broke the world" in this Commencement Address.
Cecilia McGough
by Luciana Varkevisser
Cecilia has Schizophrenia and she's made it her mission to dispel the myths surrounding Schizophrenia and help people be unashamed of having a mental illness. Celia's story inspires and brings to light some of the highs and lows of society.
One Century of Separation
by Cole Robinson
Great Uncle, being interviewed by his Great Nephew for the sake of posterity, comes across the topic of the Spanish Flu, oft called the Forgotten Pandemic. Though he is incredibly old and weary, he tries to impart what knowledge he has of the event.
Perspectives of Hiroshima
by Thomas Colglazier
Two men from very different backgrounds share their experiences of the 1945 atomic bombing in Hiroshima. General Paul Tibbets shares his memories of piloting the plane that dropped the bomb and the world altering impact it had while Izumi Hirano recalls the terrible destruction as the bomb hit during his schooling hours in Japan.
Joey Chestnut:
The Professional Competitive Eater
by Emma Evanson
Competitive eater Joey chestnut talks about how he got started eating competitively, how he prepares for competitions, and his strategies for winning. He shares his favorite foods, how he stays in shape for contests, and his records he has set.
by Bobby Springer
70-year-old Andrew Forrest discovered surfing at 44 and ever since he has written his experiences in journals. He discusses how surfing brought him away from drugs and alcohol and how it has brought him a connection which he wishes to keep for the rest of his life.
The Car Crash
by Jake Reeves
George, a middle aged man who is wearing a bucket hat, retells the story of a car crash he was in moments earlier. Having been in the car crash, he is understandably shaken up, but is really animated with both his voice and mannerisms while telling his side of the story.
WWII Recounts
from Opposite Sides
by Andrew Ashman
On one side of the story is the perspective from Ralph Griffith, a former United States World War 1 Veteran who recalls his emotions of sorrow and sympathy for the Japanese Americans, while on the other side is the former Japanese American prisoner, Aya Uenishi Medrud. Despite them being on opposing sides of historical conflict, they both share the recollection of pain, sorrow, and the devastating sense of betrayal by their country they trusted, with both interviews ending in a flurry of tears and emotion.
Beyond the Classroom...
The following films were made as teams or by our students outside of SMES film classes.
Waste Not...
This film was made for the All American High School Film Festival Film Invitational (2020) and placed in the top 5!
Film Team: Emma Evanson, Ryan Krall, Kate Lee, Amy Na, Max Page, Emmy Perry, Charlotte Quintanar, Bobby Springer, Winston Verdult.
The Healthcare Gap
by Ryan Krall and Charlotte Quintanar for the National Film Festival for Talented Youth "Stock Footage Challenge" (2020)
3rd Place Winner
The Rodney Show
by Ryan Krall (2020)
A young boy named Rodney falls asleep watching his favorite late-night talk show. When he awakens in a fantastical late night show of his very own, he interviews bizarre and unique characters all with their own talents and mischief.