2017 Doppelganger Film Festival results
March 28, 2017
The process of writing, editing and directing a film is a daunting task, but one that several Diamond Bar High School students decided to take on in hopes of winning a prize at the eighth annual DBHS Doppelganger Film Festival.
Hosted by junior Priscilla Gomez and senior Aleksei Solomatov, the film festival is modeled after the Academy Award show. Students submit films under one of five categories: theatrical trailer, commercial/PSA, music video, short film and out of the box. Additional awards are given for best director, editor, writer, actor, actress and director.
The presenters also performed short skits with pop culture references. Indiana Jones, Belle and the Beast and Darth Vader were a few of the characters making appearances throughout the night. The event also featured live music from students in the Commercial Music program.
Christopher Lin’s “Banana” took the title for best theatrical trailer, a horror film filled with montages of knives and blood. Taking a more lighthearted approach, Solomatov won best commercial/PSA for his comedic film encouraging students to take AP Statistics.
Juniors Ji Ho Kwak and Jun Ahn both submitted romantic sketches for the short film category. Ahn’s film, “Love/Life,” showcases the tough decision one student faces when choosing between his school work and his girlfriend. Kwak’s film, “Duet,” centers around the budding relationship between two students paired together for a duet assignment. Kwak’s film stars Nathan Lee and Katie Han, who each won in the best actor/actress category.
The best short film award went to juniors Megan Hoang and Marisa Umeh, for their documentary, “Femstem.” The film focuses on DBHS junior Zaina Syed and her creation of an all-female Muslim robotics team.
Three films competed in the out of the box category. Freshmen Kirsty Lai and Karen Su’s “Pure Imagination” is an animated film set to the song of the same name. Hunter Seropian entered his film explaining the String theory, “A Creative Way to Explain Everything,” which won him best writer. The winner of the category, Samantha Juarez, created “In Sorrow,” a touching tribute to the struggles faced by her mother and grandmother.
Anthony Silva took home the most awards of the night. His music video “No Exit II,” which was set to the song “II. No Exit” by Childish Gambino, won him best music video, best editor, and best director.