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Redlands Unified students walk the red carpet as their work premieres at Harkins Theatres
The school winners for the Ken Hubbs Award have been chosen. The Hubbs Award is the most prestigious high school
Redlands Unified students walk the red carpet as their work premieres at Harkins Theatres
Redlands Unified students stepped into the spotlight on Wednesday, April 30, as their original films lit up the big screen at Harkins Theatres in Redlands. Selected for the 3rd Annual RUSD FilmFest — Celebrating Student Creativity Through Film — these young filmmakers were honored not just for their finished projects, but for the imagination, effort, and storytelling behind them.
FilmFest posters and stickers filled the theater lobby, and the RUSD team interviewed students like stars on a red carpet, recognizing their hard work and making the day feel every bit as special as a Hollywood premiere.
Elementary, middle, and high schools were represented across two categories: fiction and nonfiction. Each category featured the top 10 submissions, judged on creativity, storytelling, impact and polish. In total, 53 films were showcased during afternoon and evening screenings, with more than 100 students participating. Each short film ranged from two to eight minutes in length.
When speaking with the student filmmakers during the event, everyone expressed surprise and excitement at seeing their movies on the big screen — and several shared dreams of one day working in the film industry.
The FilmFest offers a platform to spotlight emerging talent, including sixth grader Calvin Catania of Cope Middle School, who was named a finalist for the 2025 California Student Media Festival, to be held May 17 at Hollywood High School.
It was Calvin’s second time having a movie shown at the RUSD FilmFest. Last year, he made a cowboy film. This year he made a film noir called Cheap$kate which took him six months to complete. He had his sister and two friends acting in the movie, he played both the detective and the criminal.
“This year I wanted to go with a more moody feel,” he said. He wrote the script, made the storyboard, directed and filmed parts of it himself. “I used the power of editing and I made myself a duplicate,” he said. “When I showed it to my friends, they were like, wow.”
“I am excited to see it on the big screen,” Calvin said at RUSD FilmFest 2025. “And excited to branch out and make the story deeper with more character growth.”
Other standout films explored everything from outer space to accessibility and sibling teamwork.
Fourth graders Maddux Remillet and Kaleb Herman, close friends since meeting at Mariposa Elementary in 2021, created All Access: An Accessible Night Out at a Pro Hockey Game. Their nonfiction film takes viewers inside an L.A. Kings game through their perspective.
Maddux, who uses a wheelchair in his daily life, appears on screen while Kaleb provides the voice-over narration. “This is about awareness, right Maddux?” Kaleb said. “Yeah,” Maddux replied.
“This is the first movie I’ve been in,” added Kaleb, who hopes to be a comedian one day. “I hope to be on Hot Ones.”
One of the featured elementary fiction films, The Little Things, was produced by three siblings. It focuses on mindfulness and finding joy in everyday moments.
“My movie is about appreciating the little things in life because I am always rushing,” said James Knapp, a fifth grader at Kimberly Elementary School. James directed and acted in the movie together with his younger sisters, Ava (first grade) and Sammy (kindergarten).
The hardest part? Filming a squirrel eating a peanut. “We had to do many takes,” he said.
In a playful tribute to Star Wars, brothers Kunsang and Choekyong Tenzin created a stop-motion LEGO diorama, How to Make a LEGO Diorama, that reimagines scenes from the saga—with a few creative twists of their own.
“I had to do like 2,000 frames,” said Kunsang, a fifth grader from Highland Grove. “I really like filming the stop motion,” he said, though it was difficult “getting everything in the right place.”
“And running out of storage,” added Choekyong, a third grader.
Kunsang said they had to edit the film after it started glitching at the 2,000-frame mark. They spent about a month creating the movie. “I imagined it to be good, and it kind of measured up to it,” he said.
The event was organized by the EdTech & Innovation Department teachers under leadership from Senior Director of K-12 Education, Jamie Cortz.
“It’s important for us as educators to create opportunities for students to shine in all different areas — whether it be building robots, competing in science fairs, or doing engineering,” said Cortz. “This event is specific to kids who love movies, love storytelling, and love to express their creativity through videos.”
This year marked the highest number of submissions, noted Rebecca Maschack, multimedia communications specialist at RUSD.
Students had to submit original work by March 21. Some had worked for months to create their movies.
“Each year, interest and participation continue to grow,” added Jennifer Vadnais, EdTech teacher and part of the FilmFest leadership.
The evening showings had several of the seven theatres ‘sold out’. “Harkins has been a key community partner in the success of these events,” said Maschack.
Organizers say the FilmFest is a vital platform for nurturing young talent and inspiring future careers in entertainment — from acting and directing to writing and editing. Seeing their work premiere on the big screen, right alongside Hollywood blockbusters, helps students build confidence and pursue their passions.
“We can’t wait to see the students’ excitement as they watch their films with friends and family,” said EdTech teacher Carly Sapp, another member of the FilmFest leadership team.
Clockwise from top left: Mariposa Elementary School fourth grader Emma Sapp (center) did research, wrote a script, narrated, and put together a movie about the solar system. FilmFest posters hang inside Harkins Theatre; Ben (left) and Steven (right) Barr created “Benfection,” a movie about Ben who anything he touches turns into Ben, made by his brother Steven, eighth grader from eAcademy; Moore Middle School students Claire Speak (left) and Sawyer Strout (right) admire their names and film, Dungeons & Dark Roasts, printed in the RUSD FilmFest program on April 30, 2025; Student filmmakers from Judson & Brown Elementary School pose for a photo during the premiere of their fiction film, That Time I Saved the World from Alien Birds, during the RUSD FilmFest on April 30.
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