OHS Students Win Awards in 10 Day Film Challenge, Hendrick Hudson Film Festival

Ossining High School students won multiple awards at the 10 Day Film Challenge Festival in New York City and Hendrick Hudson Film Festival last week.

For the 10 Day Film Challenge, students had 10 class periods over 10 days earlier this year to script, shoot, score and edit a three- to four-minute film. Two of the Ossining student films ranked in the top 10 for the state. “Enclosed,” a superhero film, was No. 2. “Phantasm,” a fantasy, was No. 8. “Enclosed” also won awards for best use of sound and best editing, and second place for best special effects. “Phantasm” received the award for best use of character.

“Enclosed” made the top five for drama at the 13th Annual Hendrick Hudson Film Festival. “The Usual,” a film by Robert Cafarelli of OHS and Troy Peterson of Hendrick Hudson High School, won “Oscars” for best drama and best overall film. “Second Chance,” by Ossining students Jason Zhizhpon and Nakazja Hamilton, received an honorable mention. The festival received about 300 submissions from more than 40 schools in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut region.

The students are in a new film course co-taught by theater teacher Jessica Beattie and photography teacher Harry Quiroga. They call themselves BeaRoga Productions, using part of each teacher’s last name.

“BeaRoga Productions is incredibly proud of all the accomplishments made in just our first year,” Ms. Beattie said.

The 10 Day Film Challenge in other states will wrap up by May 19, according to the organization. The other states with competitions are New Jersey, Pennsylvania and a combined challenge for states with only a few schools competing. Once all the films have been judged, awarded and screened, the group will choose the top 15 to screen at the national finals in Philadelphia June 7.

The top films in the New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the multi-state challenges are automatically in the nationals. “Enclosed,” No. 2 in New York, has a good chance at making it to the national finals, the group said.

All four films submitted by Ossining film students made the top 30 in New York and were screened at the festival in New York City. The other entries were “Alone,” a mystery, and “My Strange Phobia,” a mockumentary.

More than 3,000 student filmmakers from 106 high schools in 15 states entered the 10 Day Film Challenge this year. Students received a genre, a character, a character’s backstory, a prop, a line of dialogue and a cinematic technique to use in the film.

Photos by Bradley Morrison, director of cultural arts, and teacher Harry Quiroga.