Young auteurs create a mix of moods at library film fest

During the opening minutes of any film festival there's always an electricity in the air. The directors, the screenwriters, and the actors are a little tense and a little excited and it was no different at the third annual Teen Film Festival sponsored by the Highland Park Public Library.

"Since we started two years ago the older teens have picked up technical skills and are helping the younger, newer members," said Teen Librarian Michelle Reasso, who founded and conducts the event. "Film maker Alex Plister, Dr. Robert Knoll, who is a film buff, and other experts have come in to spend time with the teens. In the 14 films produced you can see a real change in the more sophisticated quality."

Gavriel Epstein, a 13 year old who has been a member of the club since the beginning has a special interest in the supernatural, especially of what can happen in a library. Both of his films have had location shots at the front desk with some librarians who have crossed over to the twilight zone.

In his first film, Time Travel: In Between Times, a young girl from the 1800s tries to check out a book from a clever desk person. In his current film, Pause, two characters have the ability to freeze time and take advantage of unsuspecting bystanders, but again, a clever librarian puts a hitch into their less than honest goals.

Aaron Gartenberg, the 8th grader who directed Pause, brought his crew into the library and gave instructions to his cameraman, Sam Stein and the actors Luka Giovanetti and Amit Miretsky, the two who were up to no good. If you want to know how they stopped time you can see the film at a future screening.

For Aaron, "as a sixth grader I learned the process, in the seventh grade I made a music video for a local group and this summer I'm planning to go to the University of South California to take a film workshop."

"One thing I learned as a director is that it's a lot easier making a film if you have a camera man because it frees you up."

For 19 year old college student Clara Younge, making films has become a family affair with plenty of friends helping. In Baby Troubles, an evil doctor tries to kidnap a baby who has special powers. In Ite's Adventure, Maddie Hehir plays a girl who gets kidnapped. "We got our neighbor to appear in Baby Troubles and a couple of friends who have experience acting for Ite's Adventure. My middle sister Mande, also did a lot of the set up." Even her mother, Barbara Turpin has a supporting role playing a father. (Clara's father wouldn't dream of participating in such frivolity - Ed.)

It was Clara's youngest sister, 8 year old Danae, a writer, who gave them both ideas for their films and helped write the scripts. "It was a fun sister activity," Clara said. "When we got everybody together and started to shoot scenes there were outakes and jokes that came up as we went along."

The Max Shiffman family has also made film making a family affair. Although father Sam and eight year old Max both share a similar vision for their film Doggie McDogg's Staycation, they differed on how their star performer should interpret it.

Sam: "I see the movie as an interpretation of Jean Paul Sartre's Being and Nothingness, but Max sees it as wanting to go someplace great on vacation and having no money and having to stay home." According to Sam, the theme is that life is pain, but the meaning lies in making peace with existence. "Doggie McDogg is a stuffed animal and if we have to make two films to get each of our visions across, [then] so be it." In addition to Doggie McDogg, Milo (six years old) and Theo (18 months) also are trying to act out the meaning of life.

Simon Davis, a founding member of the Teen Film Club, made his two films, Rhythmic Love and Trapped, while attending the New York Film Academy last summer. His assignment when making Rhythmic Love was to tell a story without using dialogue. Using music and the techniques he learned at the academy, he powerfully unfolds the dilemma of a young boy who is bullied and finds an escape in his iPod. The audience was very satisfied that the filmmaker had met his film academy goal. Simon is a junior at Highland Park High School.

Susie Arnold shot film of animals and club members provided the voices in If Animals Could Talk. Darcy Thompson produced The Art of The Stick Figure and Silas Westfall also completed a short.

Gabe Trevor is an 8th grader and a veteran of the film club. This winter he completed his 17 minute film, The Eraser, a two-year endeavor that combines gangster and zombie film genres.

Gabe says the "hardest part about film making is organizing 15 people, and props and everybody's life and schedule is different." Working with friend Bobby Reasso, Gabe's tenacity has paid off as zombies and gangsters are set loose in Highland Park in this completed film.

Adam Moss is also a veteran of the film club and has worked tirelessly not only on his own films -- last year he did a documentary on his childhood -- but on promos and the projects of his club members. The 18 year old is now attending Middlesex County College and has just completed Family Misfortunes, clips of two 1970s shows Family Feud and Family Fortunes, he has hilariously edited together.

"In the 1970s the shows were better, but the contestant answers were dumb," Adam says. "Now the contestants are smarter and the shows are getting dumber."