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# Young filmmakers showcase original work at inaugural Santa Monica Teen Film Festival
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/emilie-phelps-special-to-the-daily-press-sam-alper-of-santa-monica-took-top-honors-at-saturdays-teen-film-fest-teenagers-get-to-take-action-with-own-f/
- Published: 2006-06-19T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T18:25:33.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Entertainment, Downtown, #archive-import

*Teens taking action*

*By EMILIE PHELPS Special to the Daily Press*

DOWNTOWN — Mention teen-agers and the film industry together and images of Corey Haims and Leif Garretts gone wrong may spring to mind, but the adolescent auteurs who gathered here on Saturday have bigger ideas than landing on “True Hollywood Stories.”

The youngsters who made their arrivals at the Main Library’s Martin Luther King Jr. auditorium over the weekend aren’t child actors, but budding directors looking to put an original slant on life at the inaugural Santa Monica Teen Film Festival.

One of the afternoon’s highlights was a film by Santa Monican Sam Alper and his friend Josh Margolin, which won the top prize for a live-action film, as well as the audience award. “Semi Formal,” a seven-minute short, depicts the story of two young men and their struggles to get ready for their school’s semiformal dance, which includes a hilarious, but controversial moment in which a rejected boy punches a haughty girl in the face.

The boys were prompted to make the film by their student body president, who wanted a film to promote the semi-formal.

“We were just worried we would-n’t finish it,”admitted Alper,“or we’d finish it and get terrible grades on our tests for that week.”

Alper, 17, started experimenting with film when he was 10\. As a senior at Harvard- Westlake, he has taken advantage of his school’s offerings in film and theater. Alper sees himself as the actor/writer, while Margolin directs and handles the technical aspects of filming. Alper said it is important for young filmmakers to learn to craft interesting stories and plots, not just the techniques to make a film visually pleasing.

Of the dozen submissions, 10 were from within the states, five hailing from L.A. County. The films, both animated and live-action, ranged in length anywhere from two to 16 minutes.

Santa Monica High School sophomore Emmanuel Reynoso, 15, got his start at Venice Arts, where he learned to create short films using digital technology. His entry, “Kung Fu Brooms,” was a fight scene reminiscent of the bullet-dodging sequence in “The Matrix.” Reynoso is interested in film because of the creativity involved in developing characters and background story.

The festival was created from the collective of Santa Monica’s cultural affairs department, The Miles Memorial Playhouse, City TV, the Santa Monica Public Library Teen Programs and Virginia Avenue Park Teen Center.

Other highlights from the festival included “The Sky is Falling,” a film by Eon Mova, from Culver City High School, about how one man experiences the world falling apart in his apartment. Produced in the school’s Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, the film contained realistic visuals and character examination.

“I Could Have Danced All Night,” set to Jamie Cullum’s version of the tune with the same name, was a montage about a character who spends her night doing everything but dancing. The film was an out-of-state entry from Kalamazoo, Michigan, directed by Caty Zick.

Winners of the festival were determined by student judges — recruited by the library — and industry professionals. There was also a live audience vote to determine the audience’s favorite film. In addition to their trophies, winners each received a $50 gift card to Best Buy.

The winners were: Live-action first place went to “Semi Formal;” live-action second place went to “The Road Not Taken,” by Scott Roth from Vacaville, CA. Animation first place went to “Envious Heart,” by Carolyn Chrisman from Santa Barbara, CA; and animation second place went to “Frank and Geraldine Lost at Sea,” by Zoe Malecki from Los Angeles.

Publicity and promotion for the first-year event was generated mostly through the Internet and flyers. One contestant suggested that the festival might target film teachers from local schools about having their students apply.

Justin Yoffe, cultural affairs supervisor for the city, is hopeful the event will continue to evolve in the ensuing years, envisioning a three-day fete that would provide each genre with its own venue.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 19, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/061906.pdf?ref=smdp.com)