Not just your typical high school drama

By Tim Goodwin - Feb 4, 2014 | 0 comments

Um, dude, you’ve got a spot on your face. No, right there. And there. Actually, it’s just everywhere.

A loving embrace, or a reasonable facsimile thereof.

These six people are really good at bringing emotion to the act of standing still in the woods. Seriously, it’s kind of moving in a literally not-moving sort of way.

We’d say this photo fits the bill if drama is the theme of the second annual Concord High School Film Festival. Spoiler alert: All of these people are covered in red stuff. But that’s all we’re going to give away. You’ll have to hit up CHS on Feb. 12 at 5 p.m. to learn more.

Are you sick of all those Hollywood produced movies that seem to have the same old plot? Do you want to be wowed the next time you watch a film by actors you’ve never heard of?

Well, you’re in luck. Because the Concord High School Film Society is about to knock your socks off. (Not literally, but the plan is to do so figuratively.)

The second annual Concord High School Film Festival is set for Feb. 12 at 5 p.m. in the Christa McAuliffe auditorium at the high school. Tickets are $5 and only available at the door beginning at 4 p.m. Unfortunately for those of you looking to enjoy some popcorn with the films, there is no food or drink allowed in the auditorium. But the good news is that this experience will surely make you forget about your growling stomach. Trust us.

“I’m hoping to see a lot of people who are interested in watching films,” said film society president Pedro Pimentel.

In all, Pimentel and his film society cohorts will show five short dramas, ranging from four minutes to 15. Each one is filled with death and desperation, but take very different paths.

“Beyond the drama theme, they all have different genres,” said junior Flynn Doncaster.

Two of Pimentel’s films will be included, but you’ll have to read the story on page 22 to find out more. It’s just our way of keeping your interest in our publication. And you can’t deny it’s a good strategy.

“It’s a very challenging type of film making,” said Pimentel of dramas. “The purpose of the festival is to make the audience feel something. I was looking for films that could emotionally captivate the audience.”

In addition to Pimentel’s creations, there will be two European films and another from the southern part of the United States. All of them are made by independent film makers who Pimentel got to know through online sites before received permission to show their films. There also might be a sixth movie, an original creation of society member Nick Skafidas, but it was still in the works and is not known if it will be done in time. Guess you will either have to attend or check Netflix in a month to see if it was ever made – that is, if you had a title to search for.

“(The film society) is teaching us how to know what’s a really good film,” said Skafidas.

Last year was when the film festival format changed. There used to be two smaller festivals during the school year, but it was hard to commit that much time to two different dates when the film society had other commitments (like making their own films) to worry about.

“Not a lot of people had enough time to work on their films,” said Pimentel. “So I just felt we should make one big festival.”

Since the old festivals weren’t well attended, it was a nice surprise when about 100 people showed up for the merged production last year, raising more money for the film society than the previous two combined. With the groundwork laid a year ago (when the theme was horror), there were only a few tweaks to take care of. And of course the required planning necessary to pull off a film festival. Minor details, really.

“We call it a film festival, but it’s quite different than a normal film festival,” said Pimentel. “It’s really a bunch of teenagers putting together a film festival at the school.”

It’s really more of a film night, since the entire festival will take about two hours. The total running time for the five films is around 40 minutes, but there will be a lot more than just what’s on the silver screen. Doncaster will be hosting the event and has a lot planned. He will welcome the audience, introduce each film and moderate a Q+A with some actors from the films. So make sure your questions are appropriate and thoughtful. There will also be some live performances, but those details are super top secret. You’ll have to be there to see for yourself.

“The focus of the evening is film as an art,” said Doncaster. “So the idea behind the film festival is to get the word out to the community.”

Along with the five short films, a few extra videos will also be shown.

“Short films are better,” said Pimentel.

With seating for more than 400 in the auditorium, the goal is to fill the place with students and faculty, as well as members of the surrounding communities. All the money goes to the film society and will help make another Concord High original film, written by Doncaster.

“We would love to fill the entire place,” said Skafidas.

So head on over to the high school for a bunch of films you’ve never seen before. It will lead to the creation of another movie you’ve never seen before. Just think of it as the circle of life, but for movies.