Each year the ESD film festival takes place during January, featuring around 10 to 15 student-produced films. This year, the festival is in limbo as the film program figures out the details for how the festival will run in a pandemic setting. This will be the seventh year officially since the festival began in 2014. The festival showcases a range of talent, from Intro to Film students’ work to AP Film students’ work. Despite the circumstances the pandemic has created, many students in the film program are hoping the festival will be held.
“I think this year, with a lot more people in AP Film, really represents the ESD film program growing,” senior Ava Thompson said. “We have people doing a huge breadth of genres, from experimental, to documentary, to narrative, to comedy—you name it, we have somebody doing it. So we definitely want to bring that to attention.”
Thompson’s favorite part about the film festival is watching people watch their films on the big screen.
“I think it’s really funny because it’s also very nerve wracking because a lot of times only your closest friends have seen [your film] until it’s shown and maybe your parents are seeing it for the first time,” Thompson said.
Thompson cherishes this school tradition and the community the film program has provided her.
“Film has felt a lot like a community this year with so many more people doing AP Film,” Thompson said. “It’s just been a very nice experience.”