Student filmmakers stepped into the spotlight last night as Sacred Heart Live electrified the Lennie and John de Csepel Theatre to celebrate the fifteenth annual Film Festival. Seniors Cait Haggerty, Jane Murphy, and Kelsey Wilkens hosted this year’s Film Festival April 11 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. with the theme of Saturday Night Live (SNL). Seventy nine film students shared their work with the audience and judges and received a series of awards and much applause.
The three hosts, along with the two co-chairs, seniors Ella Breitenbach and Isabella Nardis, have been working since September 2023 to construct a night that captures the spirit of the fun-filled annual tradition. The Film Festival began with a video with the hosts in New York City as they tried to sneak their way into Studio 8H, the renowned filming location of SNL. However, they inadvertently ended up at the theater at Sacred Heart Greenwich, where they incorporated various skits based on SNL to captivate audience members and make the night more memorable. Ella expressed her enthusiasm about the Film Festival and explained how it brings the Upper School filmmakers together.
“The film program is incredible at Sacred Heart Greenwich,” Ella said. “This year, we have 79 Sacred Heart filmmakers attending the festival, which is just outstanding. It is remarkable that students can showcase their hard work in filmmaking to the entire school, with the event being entirely student-run.”
In the Real World and Creative Filmmaking classes, students create, write, and produce original films for submission to one of the four categories in the Film Festival. These categories include creative, experimental, documentary, and public service announcements (PSA). The selection committee chairs, junior Lila Caruso and senior Julia Randolph, and a group of filmmakers then watched and critiqued 68 films from December to January. This year, they chose 35 for presentation and judgment at the festival.
The panel of judges for this year’s festival consisted of Ms. Yvette Miley, Mr. Peter Marshall P’23, Ms. Odessa Rae, and Ms. Christina DeConcini ’18. Ms. Miley currently works as the Executive Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for NBCUniversal News Group and has won five Emmy Awards and ten Edward R. Murrow Awards. She judged the PSA category at this year’s Sacred Heart Film Festival. Mr. Marshall, former Senior Vice President of Film Production at Lionsgate, judged the creative film category. Ms. Rae, an Academy Award and BAFTA-winning producer, produced the documentary Navalny, which premiered at Sundance in 2022, winning “Best of Fest” and “Audience Award.” At the Sacred Heart Film Festival, she served as the judge for the documentary category. Ms. DeConcini, former film production assistant for Season 47 of SNL, judged the experimental category.
The PSA category displayed 60-second or shorter films that highlight relevant issues. Sophomores Mackenna Kelly and Grace Villar and senior Emily Sedgwick won second place for their film “Give Kids a Chance,” which used the symbolism of a pencil sharpener to increase awareness for children’s cancer recurrence treatment. Junior Lila Caruso’s film “Dual Reality” won first place. The PSA used various lights, angles, and shots to promote understanding about the unhealthy amount of time people spend on their phones.
The documentary section at this year’s festival explored a wide range of topics, showcasing various dimensions of emotion through film. Junior Kate Gillespie won second place for her documentary “What the Mind Can’t Forget,” telling the story of her grandfather, a Vietnam War veteran, and his profound perspective through the ravages of war. Jane and Emily secured the first prize in the documentary section with their film “Leading with Love.” The documentary focuses on the Fairfield Prep boys rugby team and the hardship that the assistant coach, Mr. Brian Hopkinson, had on his journey to success.
The experimental category featured innovative films with unconventional techniques to convey distinct narratives and messages. Lila’s “If My Body Could Speak” won second place in the experimental category, incorporating movement and abstract editing techniques to create a unique film. Senior Clare Murray and junior Amy Walsh received first place for their film “Sillage,” employing layering and transitions of time to convey the theme of loneliness.
The final category of the night was the creative category, which featured a variety of films, each offering its unique perspective. Seniors Bridget McGrath and Wowie Walker secured second place for their film “Backstabber,” a thriller that unfolds the mystery of a murder committed by an ex-boyfriend. Clinching the top spot for the creative film category was the film “Whatever It Takes” by sophomores Ellie Furman and Lexi Parsons.
This winning creative film drew inspiration from the film The Devil Wears Prada, following an aspiring magazine publisher named Julia as she builds her way up from an assistant position working under the harsh Chief Executive Officer, Adeline Blanc. Many challenges confront Julia, eventually pushing her to her limits and provoking her to do whatever it takes to reach the top. Their film used a variety of shot positions and locations to convey a realistic display. They also found experienced actors to help emphasize the importance of emotion in the film. Lexi discussed the benefits of teaming up with a partner and the process of creating this film.
“Collaborating with a partner was my favorite part of the process because it made filming a lot faster and easier,” Lexi said. “For our film, we took a lot of inspiration from The Devil Wears Prada and influences from our lives. I found it very difficult to include all the details to make sure the story was complete at the end, but I enjoyed filming, getting to work with our actors, and editing the story together.”
After the PSA, documentary, experimental, and creative awards from the judges, audience members voted for their favorite films. Sophomore Laurie Starke’s “Just One Click” won the Audience Choice Award for the PSA category, spreading awareness about school shootings. “Spreading Wings” by junior Daphne Fallon claimed the documentary Audience Choice Award, explaining the touching story about the foundation Penny’s Flight, which works for neurofibromatosis awareness. Junior Olivia Antenucci won the Audience Choice Award experimental category for the film “Looking Up,” following a relationship between an older brother and his little sister. Lila took home another award with “A Documentary,” a humorous film about the behind-the-scenes processes of creating a documentary.
The evening concluded with a heartfelt montage to bid farewell to the senior members of the filmmaking classes. Following this tribute, each senior was awarded a trophy in recognition of her participation in the film program. Ms. Leah Principe, Upper School Multimedia Assistant Teacher, commented on the importance of the Film Festival as students come together to showcase their hard work and dedication to their films.
“I think the Film Festival is an important tradition because it allows all the students in the program to come together,” Ms. Principe said. “It is also nice for students to get to showcase their films to their parents and other filmmakers.”
Featured Image by Ellie Furman ’26
