Student filmmakers were honored at the 7th annual Harvard-Westlake Film Festival, held in March at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood.
Founded by Liz Yale ’04, the festival is run by faculty advisors Ted Walch, Cheri Gaulke and this year’s student directors, seniors Romina D’Alessandro and Jake Gutman. The objective of the festival is to honor excellence in student filmmaking, and it is open to all California high‐school students in grades 9 through 12.
The first Harvard‐Westlake Film Festival was held in Rugby Theater on the Upper School campus in 2004. Due to the ongoing hard work each year of many, the demand for tickets forced the festival to change venues three years ago, and it now takes place at the 800-seat theater at the ArcLight Cinema in Hollywood, thanks to the generous donation of this space by Christopher Forman ’79.
The theater was filled for this year’s show, which opened with a conversation between Oscar-nominated directors Kathryn Bigelow and Jason Reitman ’95 (a few weeks after Bigelow had won an Oscar for her work on the film The Hurt Locker).
Just two years ago, students from around California submitted 70 films for the festival. This year, students submitted more than 150 films!
Harvard-Westlake students and faculty are responsible for the initial viewing of all entries. Then, a select few are judged by a panel comprising members of the film industry who determine the student filmmakers who receive awards and scholarships from The New York Film Academy.
The evening is a great chance for Harvard-Westlake to honor students across the state who excel in filmmaking and often use their talents to tackle difficult social topics. Here is a note that was received from one of this year’s winners, Cesar Cervantes of Bell High School:
"First of all, I would like to thank [you] so much for giving me the opportunity to present my film in front of such a large audience. I can never thank you enough for presenting me with the Humanitarian Award.
"I'm also equally grateful for the opportunity to explain my motives in tackling woman abuse. I really wish I could thank everybody who made the Film Festival possible personally, and it means a lot to me to be part of this monumental event. I bestow you with my most sincerest gratitude and I'd like to say that this was a great experience , even though I was quite nervous."
This year’s festival directors decided to incorporate philanthropy into the evening. Attendees were asked to bring used or new DVDs appropriate for children and donate them to Kid Flicks. Kid Flicks, a charity founded by Marni ’09 and Berni ’10 Barta, collects movie libraries and donates them to children’s hospitals across the United States as well as in a few foreign countries.
Festival sponsors include Leah Bishop and Gary Yale P’04 ’06 (parents of founder Liz Yale), Steve Bing ’82, The Edward E. Ford Foundation, and Martha and Bruce Karsh P’10. Rob Friedman P’03 ’07 of Summit Entertainment and Deluxe Digital donated DVD duplication.
Click here to read coverage of the Harvard-Westlake Film Festival from the Chronicle website and here to visit the Harvard-Westlake Film Festival website.
Photos, from top:
Kathryn Bigelow and Jason Reitman '95 discuss filmmaking.
Reitman '95, center, with film festival directors Romina D’Alessandro '10 and Jake Gutman '10 on each side. Student filmmakers are behind them.
Photos courtesy of Daniel Lundberg '10