WEST ORANGE, NJ — Two films created by West Orange High School drama students have placed in the Top 30 Films for the State of New Jersey in the “10 Day Film Challenge,” which is often called the “No. 1 student film festival and competition in the United States.”
The “10 Day Film Challenge” is considered to be the most prestigious venue for aspiring high school filmmakers in the United States to submit their films for assessment and consideration in a yearly film festival. According to the website, the challenge “is an intense and invigorating 10 school days in which students can create an original short film based on requirements given to them on their designated Day 1. These requirements include a character, backstory, prop, line of dialogue and choice of genres.” The program began in 2011 with three high schools and has grown to 145 high schools involving 4,500 student filmmakers from 35 states.
This year, 198 films were created in 38 N.J. high schools and 19 schools are represented in the Top 30, including West Orange.
Theatre Advanced collaborated on a Fish Out of Water film called “Thank You,” originally pitched by senior Jahnya Boschulte. Theatre One students Thomas Hughes, Dane Clarke II and Juaquin Goodbar collaborated to create the mockumentary “Dalton vs. Malcolm.” The two winning groups had their films screened on May 25 at the AMC Movie Theater in Burlington.
About the Author
