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Perhaps it’s been decades since such a long line of patrons waited in such long lines to enter the newly renovated Bay Theatre in Seal Beach for an evening performance.
Yet, at one point, for almost as far as the eye could see along Main Street, students, parents, and members of an anxious community hurried to get inside, but not before walking the red carpet for a first-ever high school film festival.
Although the Bay Theatre has been packed since opening earlier this year, this event showcased the renovated facility’s ability to provide entertainment while bringing the community together.
For the burgeoning Film and TV program at Los Alamitos High School, the theatre has turned out to be a perfect location in which to premiere its annual student-produced film.
On Saturday, the huge demand required two shows, one at 2 p.m. and another at 6 p.m., to satisfy the community members who hoped to enjoy filmmaking by students.
Conner Brown, the Director of the Los Al Film and TV program, in fact, created a mini film festival around this year’s student inspired, produced and edited film entitled “Free Trial,” also showing student-made public service announcements, commercials, and short films made by students, including a short film made on an iPhone by Middle School students.
In addition, “Mr. Brown,” as he is affectionately known by his students, lined each of his students before the velvety burgundy curtain at the Bay after each short film to explain why they made films.
“I couldn’t be happier with the turnout for the film festival,” said Brown. “So many people from the community turned out to celebrate these talented young filmmakers,” he said.
“Students were beaming as the crowd erupted with laughter and applause during their work. To give these young creators a platform to showcase their work means the world to me,” said Brown.
Few expected the explosion of creativity when Brown was first hired in 2020. Brown was an independent filmmaker when he accepted the position and has since exponentially expanded the program.
The school district has responded with resources, so under Brown’s tutelage, the program today boasts its own area of the high school, complete with a green-screen set, banks of cameras that students can check out to shoot films, and banks of computers where other creators make graphics, titles and special effects.
“While this was a huge success in our books, we are already looking ahead to next year to make the 2nd annual Los Al Film Festival bigger and better. We want to make this event as big as the Seal Beach Car show or the Xmas parade,” said Brown after the event.
“I want to especially thank Paul and Ben at the Bay Theater for this collaboration as well as Tony at Humblemaker Coffee for opening his doors to us for our pre-event mixer. And a big thank you to my assistant, Matthew Berry. He did so much work behind the scenes to make this happen,” said Brown.
The event also demonstrated how filmmaking has become so important in a content-hungry nation. One student, like others, explained that their families had happily joined them on their filmmaking journeys, explaining that his dad and even their grandfather had constructed sets for their films.
The event also brought smiles to the Bay Theatre owner Paul Dunlap and theatre Manager Ben Ahle, suggesting the event was a milestone for their renovation project, finally having the chance to showcase the theater in a way that facilitates community engagement.
“Never have I been happier since we reopened,” said Ahle, the manager of the Bay. “This is exactly the kind of community engagement we were hoping to find,” he said.
The main attraction at the event was this year’s student film, “Free Trial.”
According to a story written by LAHS student Emma Hirotsu, students were excited to have their premiere “at an official theatre with a red carpet and fancy attire.
Brown said students did everything for the film, even forming a panel to select the script, the director and other decisions that resulted in the “Free Trial” film shown at the Bay Theatre on Saturday night.
The short film was written by Joey Ito and directed by Abigail Zidonis. They are dedicating immeasurable time to creating the short film and guiding others in the process. The film stars freshman Dutch Stephens, sophomore Jayden Villa, junior Evan Pagan and junior Mason Potter. Kyan Whiten was the film’s Director of Photography.
This was the first time the annual film was premiered at the Bay and not on campus at the LAHS Performing Arts Center.
Hilda Sramek, who heads a local nonprofit with an interest in filmmaking, said “this was a great community event. She said it was a great showing for the community to see the work of students, not just students watching student films.
“It also demonstrates the promise of filmmaking,” she said, noting that the impressive work of some filmmakers show how they could begin to play a greater role in the community. Also, she said all of the people in town was “fantastic” to local establishments on Main Street.
“We believe in a few years,” said Brown, “it (student film festival) will be something everyone in town knows about and wants to go to. But for now, we are so happy with what we can give to the students,” he added.
