Tonight at CinemaSalem, young filmmakers from around the North Shore will experience something many older colleagues spend their lives trying to achieve — to see their films on the big screen. The opportunity comes in the form of the Five-Minute Student Film Fest, a new venture between the theater and Film North, the same organizations that brought the successful Salem Film Fest in March.
"Most people, when they get something filmed, they don't have a chance to show it, especially on the big screen in a movie theater," said Morris Leibovitz, president of Film North, a nonprofit based in Beverly.
Film North put out a call for short films to high school and college students from Essex County last year and received 20 entries, which were pared to 10. From those 10, Paul Van Ness, co-owner of CinemaSalem, chose the winning film with a staff of volunteers.
The films vary from serious subjects, such as documentary about a woman with ovarian cancer and a drama about eating disorders, to more light-hearted fare, like funny "chase scenes" and an animated film.
The top 10 choices will be shown tonight at the Five-Minute Student Film Fest, with an awards ceremony to follow. The winner will receive a $100 gift certificate from CinemaSalem, a book, "The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to the Digital Age," a medal and automatic selection into the 2009 Salem Film Fest.
The event is open to the public.
"I think (short films) are doable for kids, because they can do something really sophisticated in five minutes," said Van Ness. "And it's fun for the audience to see a lot of films from a lot of people."
"The Guitar," a documentary by Nasha Foster, 17, a Danvers High School senior, is the shortest entry at less than two minutes.
"I was in class one day and i needed a new project to do, and there was a guitar in the room, so I laid it on a table and I just started filming it," said Foster. The assignment was an object study set to music, and Foster focused her lens on the components of a Fender electric guitar from several angles.
Foster, who plans to study communications media at Fitchburg State College in the fall, said the filming process lasted about three hours and production took a week of class time.
"It's one of the bests things I've done so far," she said. "I really like the lighting and I think it really goes together well with the music."
Van Ness singled out "The Guitar."
"This person just did this beautiful visual essay about a guitar and it's stunning," he said. "It shows what you can do if you have the right equipment."
The two chase-scene shorts — "Post It" and "Old Lady" — were filmed by first-year students in the Real to Reel Film School program at Raw Artworks, a nonprofit that serves at-risk children from Lynn and around the North Shore.
Chris Gaines of Salem, who runs RAW's film school, said the beginner class teaches the language of filmmaking and builds students' skill sets. At the end of the year, students must film a chase scene.
"(Students) understand the language of film," he said. "Our job is to teach them how to speak it."
"Wilting Lily," another film in the festival, is a product of RAW's advanced film program, which is modeled after the real film-school experience, according to Gaines.
"We definitely encourage the kids to make films that are deep and relevant to their own lives," he said.
For instance, Isangi Ozuna, 19, a former RAW student from Lynn, wrote, directed and produced "Wilting Lily," about a young woman's eating disorder and her avoidant mother.
"I wanted to target on a problem that teens usually go through," said Ozuna. "An eating disorder is kind of a metaphor for every other (teen) problem."
According to, Van Ness, the festival can help adults understand younger generations.
"For us as adults, it's hard for us to get a glimpse of what it's like to be young; this gives adults a glimpse."
"Bigger than Us" is a mature, compassionate documentary by 16-year-old Charlotte Cheshire, a filmmaker from Manchester-by-the-Sea who has attended film camps in Boston, New York and London.
When Terese Doucette Mulvey, a mother of two suffering from ovarian cancer, wanted her story told she trusted Cheshire to help. Doucette Mulvey is good friends with Cheshire's mother, Caroline.
In "Bigger than Us," Cheshire films Doucette Mulvey in her doctor's office, talking about her struggles as she softly cries. Another scene shows her exploring Singing Beach in winter with her children, the three bundled in heavy coats, balancing on small boulders.
(Doucette Mulvey) wanted to share her experience, and she wanted to help raise awareness about ovarian cancer," said Cheshire, adding that the disease is called "the silent cancer," because by the time it's diagnosed, the disease is often so far along.
"(The success of ) 'Bigger than Me' was a combination of several things," said Leibovitz of Film North. "Not only was it technically well done, she allowed the subject to be the main character and to make the film. It was a combination of good filmmaking and a good subject matter."
If you go
What: Five-Minute Student Film Fest Awards Ceremony
When: Thursday, May 15 at 7 p.m.
Where: CinemaSalem, One East India Square, Salem
How much: $5
Info.: www.cinemasalem.com
Films on screen
"The Assignment," produced by Danvers High School students
"Bigger than Me," produced by Charlotte Cheshire of Manchester-by-the-Sea
"Cultures Combined," produced by Alexandra Deconti and Katy Rosin of Topsfield
"The Freshman," animated film produced by Raw Artworks students from Lynn
"The Guitar," produced by Nasha Foster of Danvers
"Eanie Meanie," produced by students from Salem
"Old Lady," produced by Raw Artworks students from Lynn
"Post-It," produced by Raw Artworks students from Lynn
"Waking Up," produced by students from Andover
"Wilting Lily," produced by Isangi Ozuna of Lynn
