Redlands students return to the big screen for fourth annual RUSD FilmFest

REDLANDS, Calif. – Harkins Theater turned into a showcase of student storytelling as Redlands Unified students premiered their original films during the fourth annual Redlands Unified School District (RUSD) FilmFest, a districtwide celebration of student creativity, storytelling and filmmaking.

This year’s FilmFest showcased 59 student projects from 16 schools, with nearly 100 students involved in the selected films. Elementary, middle and high school students submitted work in the fiction and nonfiction categories, creating films between November and March before finalists were selected for the festival.

A new addition to this year's event was awarding top prizes in each category. With a tie in middle school nonfiction, seven winning projects were recognized overall.

For the students, this event was more than just a screening. It was an opportunity to see months of hard work writing, filming, editing and creative problem-solving unfold in front of their peers, families and the community as a whole.

Young filmmakers take the spotlight

Amy Zhou, a 7th grader at Moore Middle School, tied for 1st place in the Middle School nonfiction category with her documentary, “Finding Forever Homes,” which focused on the Yucaipa Animal Placement Society (YAPS).

 “It means a lot, especially since this is my first time winning,” she said. “I’m really excited and proud of the film that I created.”

Zhou emphasized how she has cared about animal advocacy since the fifth grade, when she began creating fundraisers for animal shelters. Through her documentary, she hopes to help YAPS reach a wider audience and encourage more people to adopt or support animal shelters.

“I’m really hoping that in the future, people are more willing to adopt more cats, dogs and maybe even just help animal shelters,” Zhou said. She also touched on how the project felt personal because she adopted her cat, Nikolai, from YAPS.

While filming and communicating with the shelter came easily, Zhou mentioned that editing the piece into a complete, coherent video was the most difficult part. Still, seeing the film on the big screen made the work worth it.

She ended with, “My big hope is that in the future, I can hopefully bring my career into something related to filmmaking and helping the community,”.

For Emma Sapp, the festival was a chance to share an informational film about swimming, a sport she hopes others will try and experience the support that comes with being part of a team. Sapp is a 5th grader at Mariposa Elementary School whose film, “Ready, Set, Swim,” won first place in the Nonfiction category.

“My video is on the big screen, and I worked really hard for a long time for this,” Sapp said with a wide grin.

She noted that the process took about a month and a half, beginning with writing and revising a script before recording, editing, gathering videos and photos, and waiting for the final export.

Her favorite part was making the script her own.

When asked what advice she would relay to others with regards to the impact of her film, Sapp concluded “To just keep doing what you love, and it’ll get better.”

Some students used film to explore language, identity and under-recognized communities. Graeden Espelita, an 11th grader at Redlands High School, won first place for High School Fiction for his music video “The End: ASL Music Video.” Creating the film for an American Sign Language (ASL) class, Espelita found a way to incorporate ASL, while also showcasing his creativity and personal interests.

“It means a lot to me,” Espelita said.

Espelita said he was inspired to take ASL partly because his brother had taken it in high school, but also because he believes the Deaf community deserves more recognition.

“I think the Deaf community is an amazing community and should be more recognized,” Espelita said.

His brother also helped bring the project to life, including filming scenes at Crafton Hills during sunset. Espelita described that the most challenging portion was coordinating locations, timing and visuals, but added that the process allowed him to create his art in a meaningful way.

“I hope to inspire other people to dig deep into their passions and to recognize different communities that aren’t often very recognized,” Espelita finished as a thought.

A 6th grader at Beattie Middle School and previous year attendee James Knapp, decided to switch up from his prior feel-good film, and returned this year with something different: horror. With his film, 'Lost in the Bamboo,' winning first place in the Middle School fiction winner category.

“This year, I want[ed] to do something like maybe a horror movie,” Knapp excitedly noted.

Inspired by horror films with major twists, Knapp filmed scenes in a bamboo forest in Redlands. He said the location was difficult to work in, with branches and roots getting in the way, but it also helped create the atmosphere he wanted.

“It was cool. It was very cool,” Knapp said.

Knapp said editing was one of the hardest parts of the process. He and his mom watched scenes from his film multiple times in an effort to choose the best takes, with editing taking about five to seven hours.

His advice to other young filmmakers was simple.

“When it’s hard editing, don’t quit,” Knapp said. “Just keep going. Don’t stop. When you get to the end, you’ll see it’s all worth it.”

Returning filmmaker Calvin Catania, now in 7th grade, premiered a sequel to his previously featured film Cheap$kate. His new project, “Puzzled,” builds on the theme of “making them pay,” which he said has become central to his work.

He plans to continue submitting to festivals, noting Cheap$kate was recently accepted into one in Chicago, and credited Redlands as a key backdrop for his films.

Expanding creative opportunity in Redlands Unified

Behind the festival is RUSD’s EdTech and Innovation Department, which helps organize the event as part of a broader effort to give students different ways to discover their interests.

Carly Sapp, an EdTech Teacher on assignment and one of three educators who helped coordinate the event, said the festival gives students a space to belong and participate.

“We want every student to have some belonging in Redlands,” Sapp said. “For those students who are really interested in filmmaking and producing and all of the parts that pertain to it, this is their opportunity to shine.”

She added that the decision to introduce winners came from audience feedback after last year’s festival, when families and attendees repeatedly asked who had won immediately after leaving the screenings.

Previously, organizers emphasized that every selected student had already “won” by being showcased. This year, however, films that received the highest scores from judges were recognized with plaques and announced as winners.

This year, top-scoring entries were recognized in each category:

• Elementary Fiction: “Into the Forest” – Paloma Resquites, Catherine Dickerson & Sadie Cross
• Elementary Nonfiction: “Ready, Set, Swim” – Emma Sapp
• Middle School Fiction: “Lost in the Bamboo” – James Knapp
• Middle School Nonfiction: “Kindness in Action” – Evie Simmons (Tie)
• Middle School Nonfiction: “Finding Forever Homes” – Eesha Pillai, Shriya Shodhan & Amy Zhou (Tie)
• High School Fiction: “The End: ASL Music Video” – Graeden Airell Espelita
• High School Nonfiction: “Emotional Regulation PSA” – Brenden Medina & Marcos Rodriguez

For Sapp, the most meaningful part of the event is watching students arrive beaming with pride, often surrounded by family members, with Sapp noting that “...some come with one, some come with 20.”

She said events such as FilmFest matter because creativity does not look the same for every student. “Not one size fits all, for some, it’s filmmaking. For [others], it’s painting, music, dance. There’s so many ways to express yourself.”

As both a coordinator and the parent of a student filmmaker, Sapp said she hopes families continue to encourage students to try new things and pursue what excites them.

“Just give them that time to blossom and to grow it,” Sapp ended with.

More than a film screening

For many students, FilmFest was not only about recognition, but about discovering what they are capable of creating. 

Whether through documentaries about animal advocacy, music videos in ASL, swimming stories, horror films or sequels filmed across Redlands, and beyondudents used the screen to share pieces of themselves with their community.

And for one night, their stories played where all films dream of landing: larger than life, in a theater full of people alongside loved ones in the audience.

You may view all contestants at the youtube playlist link here.