Arts & Entertainment 20 YEARS OF

Students and teachers discuss the work that went into preparing for the 20th edition of West ix, the school’s student-run lm festival.

By K riste A n

West ix club member Edie

Cohen ’24 said she could feel her heart utter as she sat in the Million Dollar eater, awaiting the screening of the 16 student lms to be showcased at Westix. Cohen stared at the screen, enthralled as it faded into blackness, signaling the start of the rst lm.

Cohen said she was excited to see how audience members would react to the lms that were selected, having participated in the production of the festival herself.

“I [could] not wait to see the audience’s reactions to the lms,” Cohen said. “Having waited so long for the festival, I am so glad to have had a close connection to all the work that happened behind the scenes. I [was] anxious but also excited.”

West ix is an annual student-run lm festival at the school that showcases lms from high school students throughout California. Students in the West ix Club are responsible for selecting lms and organizing the festival at a local theater. is year’s festival, its 20th iteration, featured a speech from actress and comedian Mindy Kaling, a lmmakers’ workshop with comedian, director, screenwriter and actor Jay Chandrasekhar and producer Kate Angelo and performances from the Jazz Explorers.

Cohen said her role as a judge has increased her connection to the festival.

“Having judged all of the lms that have been submitted, I feel a close connection to the festival,” Cohen said. “Judging lms and being involved in the selection process has allowed me to become familiar with the pieces submitted and to understand the vision of the lmmakers. Being part of the decision-making process has given me a sense of ownership and pride in the nal outcome of the festival, making me feel more connected to it.”

Cohen said club members are in charge of judging the lms and selecting those to be showcased at the festival. She said she is also responsible for advertising the event.

“ e main responsibilities of the members in the club are viewing, judging and discussing the lms that have been submitted,” Cohen said. “ e more lms watched and judged, the easier the process is. Being honest about our opinions of the lms is also important. ough the leaders of the festival have a more integral role in preparing for the technical aspects of the event, I focus more on spreading the word and getting people excited about the festival.”

Cohen said the lms are judged and selected based on a number of factors related to the lm’s artistic qualities.

“ e judges review the lms submitted and use speci c criteria to evaluate the pieces’ artistic qualities, direction, writing, acting, design, editing, sound and music,” Cohen said. “ e selection is rigorous, but it is crucial to ensure that the [our] selection re ects the festival’s values.”

West ix historian

Nick Guagliano ’23 said organizing the festival can be challenging and di cult but also rewarding.

“Preparing for West ix is a process that dates back to fourth quarter of the last school year,” Guagliano said. “Since the leaders were selected, plans have been passed forward with the intention of making this the best West ix ever. e leaders did an incredible job of nding a venue that is appropriate for such an amazing occasion and promoting it so audience members will be excited. e whole process of putting the festival together has been ful lling, and being able to work with people to create something that I feel passionate about is how I wanted to spend time as a senior.”

Upper School Visual Arts teacher Reb Limerick said the team implemented a number of changes to make the festival as accommodating and welcoming as possible.

“We put a lot of emphasis on this being the 20th festival,” Limerick said. “We reached out to schools that have never been represented and tried to get a more diverse assortment of lms. We have also expanded our leadership team in adding a board, 14 seniors that are passionate about video and lm, in addition to our four festival directors. One of the board members, [Guagliano], created an interview series where he contacted people from the past festivals to interview them. He has been putting [the series] on YouTube as well as on our Instagram.”

Limerick said the festival wanted to select lms that are student-made as well as those that showcase technical skills.

“It is great to see a gorgeous lm from a school that has a lot of lmmaking resources and has an incredible message,” Limerick said. “But also, we want to honor lms that are a little more [do-it-yourself] and that the students had a lot of fun making. is festival, we wanted to ensure that all of the lms were student-made.” that West ix does a great job of capturing,” Guagliano said. “I am so impressed with the content and lms that are shared at each festival. One other important part of the festival is the exposure that lmmakers have in their art being viewed, appreciated and critiqued. e speaker is a big draw, but I view the judges as a more important aspect as it allows the lmmakers to garner great advice and contact information as the students continue to pursue their passions in lm.”

“Preparing for West ix is a process that dates back to fourth quarter of the last school year.”

Limerick said the festival helps propel students into the professional world of lm in allowing them to learn from experts and collaborate with others.

Nick Guagliano ’23

“Seeing the lm on a huge screen and having people view it at a huge theater professionalizes the lms,” Limerick said. “ e panel of judges [allows] students to get feedback from other students as well as [from] people in the professional world. rough the workshop, students can also meet other lmmakers, talk about their lms and connect, network and collaborate. e festival can be a point of connection for future collaboration.”

Guagliano said West ix is an excellent platform for students to share their work and receive feedback from experts.

“ ere is so much incredible talent among lmmakers in California ough the selection pool is smaller than most other student festivals, limited to South California, the curation of the lms [is] top-notch, demonstrating the festival’s fame and reputation. I have also seen how much work the leaders and mentors put into the festival together, and I [could] not wait to see the nal product.”

Student lmmaker and recipient of the Audience Choice Award Ian Kim ’24 was selected to showcase his lm “My Sisters in the Stars: e Star of Lee Yong-Soo” at the festival. Kim said he feels honored to have been chosen to present his lm at the festival because it has served as a constant source of inspiration for him.

“Getting into West ix was super exciting as I had wanted to rst introduce the lm [at] the school,” Kim said. “West ix has been a consistent source of inspiration for me throughout the times that I have attended.

• Continued on hwchronicle.com