HCPSSFilm Festival Enables Students to Put Ideas Into Action
May 15th, 2024
Middle school students from across Howard County gathered at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab Kossiakoff Center on May 7 for the 2024 Movies That Matter (MTM) Film Festival. The event featured a selection of films made by students enrolled in Gifted and Talented (G/T) instructional film seminars at their respective schools.
To be eligible for inclusion in the festival, the student films had to communicate a positive or helpful message, explains G/T Resource Teacher Karen Saunderson.
“The idea is for students to make films that are about issues that are important to them and to move their audience to take action in some way,” Saunderson says. “Some students may do this by creating a film that serves as a public service announcement, while others may use their film to share a compelling message or to inspire others.”
Films shown at this year’s MTM festival covered a range of subjects. For example, Bonnie Branch Middle School (BBMS) student Mabel’s film, “Don’t Gossip,” addressed the ill-effects of gossiping, while her peer Saarah’s film “One Piece at a Time” stressed the importance of people doing their part to help keep the environment clean. Other film subjects included friendship, the negative impact of rumors and gossip, and the importance of self-confidence.
During the festival, students had the opportunity to view and provide written feedback on four different films. They also took part in discussion groups and got to know students from other schools.
“Movies That Matter was such a rewarding experience. Not just in the sense of being able to see your finished project on the big screen, but the whole process of creating the film itself. Working in a group or individually, I have learned many skills for filming and how to connect on a different level with my friends in film,” says Folly Quarter Middle School (FQMS) student Kara, whose film “Dare to Be Different” was shown at the festival.
For BBMS student Saarah, the highlight of the festival was seeing different students’ approaches to film-making. As she says, “The thing I enjoyed the most was being able to see other students’ films, and see many different techniques and film styles.”
BBMS student Mabel agrees, adding that “Watching everyone else’s creations helps me get ideas, and I can build off their films and create my own!”
BBMS G/T Resource Teacher Kara Nanni says that the event provides a valuable forum for students to express themselves.
“The Movies That Matter Film Festival is an incredible opportunity for [middle school students’] voices to be heard through the means of their original films in front of an audience of their peers,” she says.
In addition, MTM serves as the culmination of months of hard work, says FQMS G/T Resource Teacher Vincente S. D’Antuono.
“The art of visual storytelling through our middle school film production seminars is a journey that begins with creative middle schoolers conceptualizing a positive message they’d like to portray to peers. It continues with researching the topic, writing a script, drawing storyboard plans, hours of building relationships while capturing film and editing with colleagues, and ending with a memorable production to share with our communities.”
G/T Instructional Seminars, such as the film seminar, are open to all interested middle school students. Additional information can be found online.