Short-film showcase at cinema
Dante Downey can’t wait to see his video on the big screen at Alco Boynton Cinema this weekend.
The 16-yearold junior at South Tech Academy created a video called “SOFT-MORE” with his friend David Bauer, a senior. The film will be shown at the theater at 9 p.m. Friday and Sunday as part of the Boynton Beach Short Film Festival.
The festival, which opened Tuesday night and runs through Sunday, features more than 70 short films and is driven by South Tech Academy’s Digital Film and Broadcast Academy. The theater is at 9764 S. Military Trail at Boynton Beach Boulevard.
“We are thrilled to curate a festival with so many diverse short films for the Boynton Beach community,” Jon Palardis, the festival’s director and DIGIFILM instructor at South Tech, said in a statement.
Palardis said he wants to make Boynton “a hub for film-making, celebrating edgy, provocative and unique storytelling that captivates a wide audience.” He and Larry Forbes, the vice president and general manager of Alco, teamed up last year for the first festival.
Films, both professional and student-made, include comedy, drama, horror/sci-fi, documentary and animation.
Downey’s film is about a student who is trying to figure out where he fits in within the student body. It is a drama documentary, but Downey said it’s also a “bit of a mockumentary.” Films include:
■ “To the Top and Beyond: The Antrel Rolle Story,” produced by George Wehmeyer and directed by Christopher Fodde. It’s about a boy from Homestead who plays football at the University of Miami, dreaming of making it to the NFL and giving back to the community.
■ “In a Heartbeat,” an LGBTQ animated short film that is winning awards worldwide. It’s about a school boy’s crush on another boy. It was directed by Esteban Bravo and Beth David, graduates of the Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida.
■ “Watu Wote: All of Us,” an Academy Award nominee directed by Katja Benwrath, based on the 2015 Mandera bus attack by militant group Al-Shabaab in Kenya.
“I’m really happy my teacher was able to start this whole thing,” Downey said.
Tickets to film blocks are $10; a day pass is $15 to $25 and an all films pass is $60. Tickets can be bought at www.bbsff.net. For information on the schedule, contact bbsfilmfest@gmail.com or visit www.bbsff.net.