Westport Youth Film Fest Hosts Premier

The Complex, which also will be shown during the 2010 Westport Youth Film Festival in May, was directed by Alex Fjellberg Swerdlowe, who is in his junior year of high school. His efforts were supported by co-producer Ricky Rivera, also a junior, and seniors Sam Champtaloup, assistant director, and Andrew Nakas, director of photography.

"This is the first time the seven-year-old Westport Youth Film Festival has presented a screening prior to the actual festival," organizer Sandy Lefkowitz told the audience. Seating, which was limited to 75 people, was at capacity and featured tremendous support from Swerdlowe's classmates.

The event took place at the Westport Arts Center, which organizes the Westport Youth Film Festival program.

The screening was part of the festival's ongoing efforts to showcase films by high school filmmakers, according to Lefkowitz.

The Complex, a haunting tale of lost love, intrigue, and workplace tragedy, takes place in the post-Depression era.

The 23-minute film was inspired by a dilapidated building that captured Swerdlowe's attention.

"I had brunch with my dad at the Georgetown Saloon, and I noticed the abandoned Gilbert & Bennett factory," he said. "I knew I wanted to film something there. The owner  saw us checking the building out and he gave us a tour. He was agreeable to us using the building for a film, and that's how this movie got its start."

It took eight months for the film to go from concept to  a reality. "From the location, I created a character who was looking out of the third-floor window. From the character I created a scene and from the scene I created the story," Swerdlowe explained.

The film features performances by professional actors Damien Logan, Gary Betsworth and Kim Lowden, who unanimously praised the film's crew for their enthusiasm, hard work and professional work ethics.

"A director needs a strong point of view and Alex has that, combined with flexibilty," Logan said. "This was a wonderful experience."

Since its inception, the Westport Youth Film Festival has been embraced as one of few student-run film festivals to feature works by high school and middle school students.

"We have received entries from 30 states and seven countries," Lefkowitz said.

The 2010 Westport Youth Film Festival will take place May 7 and 8 at Westport Arts Center.

On Saturday, May 8, the festival will screen all of the juried films, which include national and international entries.

Entries are being accepted until the March 5 deadline. When submitting films for the juried festival, filmmakers are able to compete for a Motion Picture Arts summer program scholarship at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan.

This is the second year that Interlochen has donated this scholarship, which is valued at $6,000.

Interlochen Center for the Arts is a world renowned organization, whose 3,000 students come from all 50 states and more than 40 countries. Its Motion Picture Arts Program provides students with a progressive and interdisciplinary filmmaking experience that stresses the production and screenwriting fundamentals of movie making. As an end-of-camp celebration, all students’ completed projects are featured in a showcase at the DeRoy Center for Film Studies in their state-of-the-art projection space.

To compete for the Interlochen scholarship, entrants must check the indicated box on the Westport Youth Film Festival  entry form and fill out an accompanying Interlochen application, the additional fee of which is waived.

The festival organizers, a group of students known as  Team WYFF,  jury all submitted films, and those chosen for the festival lineup are eligible for the scholarship. Team WYFF narrows the eligible filmmakers down to three candidates, and the winner is chosen by Interlochen.

Applications for the festival are available  at www.westportyouthfilmfestival.org

For more information, contact Sandy Lefkowitz at (203)-222-7070 ext. 110.

The Westport Youth Film Festival was created in 2004 by Weston High School sophomores Chris Casey, David Burstein and Emma Wiseman. Although it was begun by Weston students, the students on board today are from Westport, Weston, Stamford, Greenwich and beyond.

The student-run board screens and selects all films to be shown on the days of the festival. Industry professionals select winners in each of eight genres. The winners receive Tiffany & Co. designed awards.

The festival organizers seek middle and high school students, and film professionals to help with all aspects of the festival.

According to organizers, this festival is  the only youth film festival in the world run by high school students, for high school students.