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Arts & Entertainment

Short and Sweet: Filmmakers From Around the Globe

Young filmmakers from around the world get a chance to show their movies at the Princeton Public Library

Back in June, brothers Charlie and Warren Heller headed to Belmar to spend a day at the beach, but instead of chairs, books and sunscreen, they brought along a camera, microphones and actors.

The result of that day is their three-minute movie, “When the Ocean Meets the Sky.” Something else they didn’t bring? A script.

“We pretty much wrote the script and filmed it in a day,” says Charlie Heller, a Princeton graduate who’s studying creative writing at Bard College.

“When the Ocean Meets the Sky” is one of 24 movies being shown during the Eighth Annual Princeton Student Film and Video Festival at the Princeton Public Library on today and Thursday. The films range in length from a minute to 20 minutes and cover genres such as comedy, drama, documentary and animation, according to Susan Conlon, a librarian at the Princeton Library and the library’s festival director.

Conlon says the festival focuses on area filmmakers, ranging in age from 14 to 24, but filmmakers from California, Florida, Hong Kong and Finland are represented as well. Conlon says that when the library held its first festival in 2004, no one knew it would become an annual affair.

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“You have to justify bringing back something year after year,” Conlon says. “There has to be a demand for it. Who does it serve? Who is getting something out of this? If it keeps working, it gives you the incentive to keep going. This is one of those programs that just feels like every year (we say), Oh, of course we want to do this again.”

Area filmmakers include Jeong Woo Ha, who’s from Princeton and attends the Lawrenceville School and will show her film “The Unexpected Gift – DMZ Documentary.” Sam Cutler-Kreutz is a student from Princeton whose film is titled “Frankenstein Scene.” Tim O’Connor of West Windsor will show his film, “The Thing in the Lake,” which will close the festival’s first day. 

The Heller brothers are from Princeton, and Warren still at Princeton High School. The older brother says he got the filmmaking bug when he saw his younger brother at work.

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“My brother started making movies when he was in middle school, around sixth grade, with his friends,” Charlie Heller says. “Eventually, I thought I should work with him. He got pretty good at filming stuff, so I thought, Oh, I want to make movies. We got my friends together who could act, not all that well, and just spiraled a little out of control from there.”

“When the Ocean Meets the Sky.” follows a man walking along the beach and having an inner monologue when he runs into another man doing the same thing. Charlie Heller says the film is a result of collaboration between the filmmakers.

“We usually come up with the idea together and then try to come up with the story,” he says. “I usually write most of the script. Warren does all of the technical stuff, the photography but we co-direct. Whatever we need to do, somebody tries to do it.”

Conlon says the festival gives young filmmakers a chance to share their work, get feedback, and also see films by other young filmmakers. There’s no cost to submit films and no prizes or rewards given. (Anyone interested in submitting for next year’s festival check the library’s website shortly after the new year.)

And audiences get to see films that they wouldn’t see anyplace else.

“Every year, people tell me how much they enjoy the films and they were really impressed by them, whether it’s the humor or the animation in them,” she says. “They’re also impressed by how seriously some of (the students) take not only the technique of filmmaking but the ideas behind them.”

Conlon says the young filmmakers are as impressive as their films when they take questions from the audience.

“They’re engaging, they’re funny,” she says. “They seem to enjoy themselves and enjoy the chance to answer questions. Sometimes they’ll bring their actors or other colleagues who worked on the films with them. It’s a lot of fun, it’s a very lively evening.”

The Eighth Annual Student Film and Video Festival will be held on July 20 and 21 at the Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon St., Princeton. Screenings begin at 7 p.m. Recommended for teens and adults. Admission is free. For information, go to www.princetonlibrary.org or call 609-824-9529.

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