Lights, camera, action! The sixth annual Wentzville School District Film Festival will be ready to get the show on the road at North Point High School on April 13.

Along with the Wentzville School District itself, the Film Festival is sponsored by Central Methodist University.

There are eight different topics/genres that student filmmakers will be able to choose from (there is also a Teacher category for educators who may want to contribute):

• Instructional (how-to, tutorials)
• Informational (documentaries, biographies, product reviews)
• PSA/Commercial (“call-to-action,” swaying public opinion)
• Story (tell a narrative with beginning, middle, and end)
• Music Video (check copyright policy)
• News Package (present a news story)
• Sports (present sports event, package, or original news story)
• Animation (2D, 3D, and/or stop-motion)

The majority of these categories have a maximum run length of 5 minutes, which includes end credits. Submissions are due on Monday, Mar. 28, via the Wentzville School District Film Festival website. The rubric for submitted films is also provided on the website. All entries from participants in grades 7-8 and 9-12 must be exclusively student-written and produced.

The 2021 Film Festival, in the same vein as 2020, was presented as an online premiere. Of the more than 140 submissions, 19 were awarded in the nine categories. The showings also incorporated a teacher video on recycling fundraising. All of the winning movies are available to watch on the aforementioned Film Festival website.

Liberty senior Sruthi Ramesh is submitting a News Package video as part of Online News and a Story video for herself.

“I’ve entered in the past but one of the pieces I entered was my Online News class’s broadcast, and I was just very proud of the work that they put into it,” noted Ramesh.

She hopes that the Online News team will be recognized and honored at the festival.

“I’m really excited to see all these amazing videos that people from all across the district have put together,” she expressed. “I think that celebrating videography and filmmaking in the district is a great way to inspire creativity in kids, and I admire how some teachers make it a part of their class to work on things together.”

When asked how the festival positively impacts students, head librarian Ms. Oliva remarked, “I think it gives students who may excel in video making and maybe not in other typical areas in school the chance to really shine.”

She commented, “It’s about seeing students in their element and being incredibly creative, as well as getting to know them through the films that they make.”

The vast variety of artistry and talent displayed at this year’s festival will surely be spectacular to experience. Students in grades K-12 have worked firmly on their respective productions in anticipation of this event, and the forthcoming showcase will give us the opportunity to encounter the hearts, minds, and souls of Wentzville School District students. We will be looking forward to a cinematically magnificent exhibition of films.

“The whole aspect of cinema and film festivals should be a moment to come together and celebrate art and humanity. It would be a shame if there was such a divide.” — Keanu Reeves