Young filmmakers compete in 24-hour challenge

Three Norfolk students are being lauded for their filmmaking on the fly.

Zoe Veldhuis, Alex Sullivan and Isabel Saudade, all Grade 12 students at Holy Trinity Catholic High School, recently took on the challenge to create – in just 24 hours – a short film.

That’s one day to come up with a concept, write a script, film and edit a movie up to five minutes in length.

The first ever 24-Hour Youth Film Challenge, a partnership between the Norfolk County Public Library and the Haldimand County Public Library, was part of Watch Local Week, a free celebration of locally-produced film and television.

Veldhuis, Sullivan and Saudade took home first prize in the challenge for their 2 ½-minute film, Without You, which (quickly) tells the story of a grieving Charlotte who wanders her hometown reminiscing about her childhood best friend, Sadie, and the time they spent together. The film also tied for the Audience Choice Award.

“It was super exciting to participate,” said Veldhuis, who was the main writer of the film and shared directing responsibilities with Sullivan. Saudade did most of the acting.

They were among five groups of young filmmakers who competed in the festival, including those from Simcoe Composite School, Cayuga Secondary School, JL Mitchener Public School in Cayuga, and McKinnon Park Secondary in Caledonia.

Also in the festival was the work of a keen team of twin seven-year-olds – children of Cayuga filmmaker and festival judge Graeme Bachiu.

To participate – and ensure they didn’t create their film beforehand – the budding filmmakers had to go to the Jarvis library at 7 pm on April 20 to receive three prompts required to be in their movies: a bridge (location), a barn ( prop), and a line of dialogue taken from Titanic (“I’m king of the world!”) and used in a unique way.

Participants were to dash their finished films back to the library no later than 7:30 pm April 21.

“After we came up with the concept and script, we rode our bikes all around town doing the filming,” said Veldhuis. “The editing process was the most difficult.”

Bachiu said the judging panel watched the films together, then graded each one privately, adding up the scores at the end.

“Criteria included the film’s technical quality, story structure and entertainment value, and the integration of the three prompts that we drew from a hat at the challenge launch,” said Bachiu. “We were thoroughly impressed with all of the films and hope to have more young filmmakers enter the challenge next year.”

Veldhuis said she spent a lot of time watching films during the pandemic lockdowns, becoming a fan of directors such as Wes Anderson, Taika Waititi and Greta Gerwig. She was able to learn more about the process of filmmaking as part of a communications technology class at Holy Trinity.

The competition wrapped up with a red carpet screening of the films at the Simcoe library.

“Events like these have the potential to shape the next generation of local creative and have a lasting impact on someone whose whole life is ahead of them,” said Belinda Smith, virtual library coordinator with the Norfolk County Public Library, and a festival judge.

Veldhuis, who is returning to Holy Trinity next year, said she is aiming to study film at the post-secondary level.

Other festival participants included:

• Found and Lost by filmmakers Sarah Gurney and Emma Smout, Grade 11 students at Simcoe Composite School. They placed second.
• Trappin’ and Nappin’ by filmmakers Clay Bigelow, Gavin Fernandes Nick DeCoste and Mitch Fries, Grade 12 students at Cayuga Secondary School.
• I’m King of the World by filmmaker Liam Taylor, a Grade 12 student at McKinnon Park Secondary School.
• Gary’s Story by filmmakers Malcolm and Olive Bachiu, Grade 2 students at Mitchener Public School. Won Best Creative Concept Award and tied for Audience Choice Award.