The annual 25th Sonoma International Film Festival kicked off with a special screening of films created by the Sonoma Valley High School Video Arts Program. Students who took part in these films, whether directing or acting, were able to spend the day at the Sebastiani Theater on March 25 to watch their movies.

Organized by Mr. Hansen, those who were enrolled in both his Video Arts I classes and Advanced Video class were able to present the films they had been working on for the entire second semester on the silver screen.

Senior Video Arts student Mateo Luque enjoyed watching “everyone’s films and seeing [himself] on screen.” His film, created with senior Sean Tomany, called Batman: Vengeance was a fan favorite due to its creative comedic idea.

Before watching the student films, the audience enjoyed an interview, led by senior Bella Quilici, with famous film and stage actor Karen Allen. Known for her roles in The Sandlot, Animal House, and multiple Indiana Jones films, Allen answered questions about her life story and gave advice to aspiring actors and directors. Students were able to interview her about her most popular movies asking questions about pursuing a career in acting. 

With her film, Online freshman Lola Bodenhamer found it embarrassing but also proud to see her film on the big screen. “It was really fun to see that all of the progress and hard work paid off,” claimed Bodenhamer.

During the breaks from enjoying films, students were excited to be able to have bagels, donuts, and pizza courtesy of local shops Mary’s Pizza Shack and Homegrown Bagels. 

Junior Julia Lage found the day exciting, saying she thoroughly enjoyed being able to show her movie, A Day in the Life Covid Edition, to the audience. “We spent a lot of time making it and getting it just the way we wanted.”

With over fifty films shown, the event lasted a full school day and was entertaining till the very end.