Arts Festival puts local students behind the lens By Jennifer Davoren Aspen Shortsfest has come and gone, but a group of Basalt High School students has put together a venue for filmmakers left out of the professional showcase. The second annual Valleywide Student Filmfest kicks off Thursday, May 3, at the Basalt Middle School Auditorium, offering audiences three nights of amateur filmmaking by valley students. The student festival got its start last year as the pet project of Haley Thompson, then a Basalt High School student. Although Thompson has since graduated, a group of her friends have joined together to make the festival an annual event. While a majority of last year's films were produced by Basalt students, this year's festival has attracted films by students from across the valley, said Shelly Benson, a senior at Basalt High School and an event organizer.
Comedies are always interesting.
Of course the lines can be blurred at times, as students' influences often come from a variety of sources. Other than a concern regarding violence set by the festival's viewing committee, the possibilities were limitless, Green said. We wanted to stress that it was a way for students to express their creativity, not to necessarily mirror what they call the harsh realities of violence in our culture. A majority of the student films were made with ordinary digital cameras. Benson said an entry she helped produce was made with a regular camcorder and a VCR for editing.