On Wednesday, May 24th, the Wagner Room was transformed into a dazzling theater filled with students decked out in red carpet outfits, outstanding presenters, acclaimed adjudicators, a complete lighting stage, and an actual red carpet for none other than the 2023 New Age Film Festival: a celebration to honor the work of student filmmakers across Fairfield County.
The festival allows students to submit creative films and video productions in a variety of categories: narratives, documentaries, music videos, animations, PSA’s, commercials, and “open entry” which includes news broadcasts, TV productions, promotional videos and experimental films. “Students typically create projects in a filmmaking, video production or TV broadcasting class, but many students work on their own films after school on their own time.” said NCHS Film Teacher and Advisor Jennifer Sinski.
This year, 90 students from five different schools - NCHS, Weston High school, Brien McMahon, Danbury High School and Sacred Heart Greenwich - participated in the festival. The majority of participants have aspirations of pursuing a career in filmmaking, but some just enjoy having the opportunity to experiment and broaden their creativity. “Many students do want to pursue filmmaking of some kind after high school, but not everyone,” Ms. Sinksi said. “Either way, the process of creating a movie, following through with the submission, putting themselves out there and then seeing the films from other students and schools is SO incredibly beneficial to the creative process if a student wants to follow their dreams. They see new forms of storytelling, styles, technology and can learn from each other and from the jurors.”
Each year, a panel of jurors is invited to adjudicate the entries: this year’s adjudication panel included Peter Vandall, a current editor for ABC, and Tom Olivia, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of The All American High School Film Festival as well as Crave Arts. These judges are assigned specific categories and they utilize a rubric in order to allocate the awards.
The New Age Film Festival is a beneficial way of giving students the opportunity to unleash their creativity and get applauded for the hard work they put into their films. “Making a movie requires a student to get outside of their comfort zone and follow a story that they feel compelled to tell. It encourages planning, scheduling, problem-solving, collaboration, focus and commitment,” Ms. Sinski said. “This festival is an outlet for students to express themselves and to tell stories that are meaningful, as well as an experience that elevates their student projects to a professional format and validates all of the hard work and time they put into making their movies.”
To see the complete list of award recipients, click here: https://ncps.digication.com/newagefilmfestival/list-of-award-recipients
