Frank Sinatra High to host film festival

“We’ve all worked really hard,” said Zahra Vera, an 11th-grade film student at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria. The results of their labor will be presented to any and all comers at the school’s 16th annual Spring Film Festival on May 3, when students in grades nine through 12 will debut works entirely written, filmed and produced on their own.

From poignant narratives to suspenseful thrillers inspired by the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick, the films showcase the vibrant diversity and culture of the school’s population.

“Every winter, we get a group of students together to form a committee,” said Dmitry Gubin, the high school’s film department chair. “Two from each grade.”

The committee members then vote on the films that make it to the festival. They meet on Zoom every week, and the films are ranked to narrow down which make the cut.

“The entire event is an hour and 30 minutes,” Gubin said. “And there’s speeches and introductions, so really, about one hour and 15 minutes of programming.”

This year, Gubin said, there were around 60 submissions.

“It’s really exciting to see our peers’ work,” said Vera, one of the committee members who also assisted in the production of two films. “Filmmaking is a nice community and you meet lots of interesting people. It’s nice to see everyone come together.”

While grades nine through 11 will have their work shown at the school, grade 12 students will head across the street to premiere their senior theses, with many exploring personal narratives and societal issues.

“The senior screening will be held at the Museum of the Moving Image,” Jason Spagnuoli, a film teacher at the school, said. “It’s, dare I say, world-renowned? It’s the Museum of the Moving Image for Pete’s sake.”

Asked about the difficulties encountered during the process, Spagnuoli said, “As filmmakers, it’s like the world is conspiring against us.” He described how some of the seniors were shooting in Times Square, and the lead actress became extremely ill. Filming had to get shut down, and the actress was recast — but they got back on track.

“You have got to be tenacious and willing to tell your story,” he said.

Gubin said the students worked for weeks straight under high pressure.

“This is the highest-caliber work you’ll find from high school film students,” he said, adding that the Sinatra film program is rigorous and the works are on par with the kind one might see produced by a college sophomore. “These students are making stories they feel strongly about.”

Spagnuoli said it’s important for the community to come out in support.

“During the pandemic, people turned to film, and there’s a reason for that,” he said. “We turn to film because we want to feel something, and we want to connect. Film is the best medium for that.”

The film festival will start at 6 p.m. in the Tony Bennett Concert Hall, located in the school at 35-12 35 Ave. The seniors’ showcase at MoMI, at 36-01 35 Ave., will be at 8 p.m., with an awards ceremony to follow.

For tickets and more information, visit franksinatraschoolofthearts.org.