Area high school, collegiate filmmakers to showcase their work

Dozens of student filmmakers from Portsmouth High School and Salve Regina will screen their short films at the Aquidneck Island Student Film Festival on Monday, April 23 at Jane Pickens Theater, located at 49 Touro St. in Newport.

The juried festival will feature about 10 films that will be screened in two categories: original short and documentary. Student producers will be vying for $250 prizes for first place in each category. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and films will begin screening promptly at 7:30 p.m. following a reception.

“The Aquidneck Island Student Film Festival is dedicated to supporting the emerging voices in film by providing the young student filmmakers of Rhode Island an opportunity to showcase their work,” said Gary Vaspol, an English teacher and film/digital production coordinator at Portsmouth High School who is also an adjunct professor at Salve Regina.

Students participating on Monday are representing Salve Regina’s film studies program, the Salve Studios student film production Club and the Portsmouth High School Academy of Media Communications and Digital Video Production.

In addition to screening their work at this inaugural festival, participating students will present a collaborative film project that showcases their respective production programs.