Va Bene Film Challenge screening local high school films at Astra

Jasper natives Shalyn Grow and Asya Hildenbrand will host the third annual Va Bene Film Challenge Screening at the Astra Theatre in Jasper. The event starts at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 7:00 p.m.

This is a FREE event, but a ticket is required. Get your’s here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/va-bene-film-challenge-screening-tickets-1312046017959?aff=erelexpmlt.

*Some subject matter maybe senstive to young viewers. We recommend an audience of 13 and up.

In 2023, the pair created a short film competition for southern Indiana high school students. This spring, they hosted the competition for a third time, and they are excited to screen select films at the Astra Theatre.

“This year we will showcase all different types of genres — comedy, superhero, drama, and fantasy. All films will be five minutes or under,” Hildrenbran said, adding there will be prizes for the top-scoring schools this year.

Alongside the films, the event will also feature a keynote speaker and a Q&A with student filmmakers.

Films were scored by a panel of six industry professionals, many of whom are from Indiana. The judges were selected to provide constructive feedback and mentorship to students interested in pursuing film/tv as a career. Nine teams competed from six different high schools: Jasper, Shoals, Northeast Dubois, Southridge, Washington and Pike Central.

This year’s keynote speaker is Zac Cooper, a writer/director living in Indianapolis. In 2021, he made his first feature film for $15,000. He shot the film in Indianapolis with a majority of the cast and crew being local to Indiana. The film is now streaming on Tubi and available to rent on Amazon Prime Video. Most recently, he was a producer on another Indianapolis feature film, “Last Days of Summer” — which won the Indiana Spotlight Narrative Award at the 2024 Heartland International Film Festival.