G7 Film Festival

Lights, Camera, Collaboration: Grade 7 Pilots a New Film Festival Unit

This semester, Grade 7 Drama students at Concordian took part in an exciting new experiment: creating, producing, and premiering their own short films in the first-ever Grade 7 Film Festival (G7FF). Developed as a pilot unit in the MYP Drama classroom, the project introduced students to the fundamentals of filmmaking through a simple prompt—a scene set in a lunchroom—encouraging them to explore visual storytelling, direction, acting, production design, and editing.

Each film team functioned as a mini production company, taking on authentic roles from a professional film set, including director, cinematographer, editor, production designer, sound recordist/ designer, and a cast of four actors. They adapted a shared script into a unique vision, making creative choices about tone, setting, camera work, and performance. Along the way, students created mood boards, storyboards, shot lists, and even scouted real lunchroom locations around the school—applying design thinking at every step of the process.

The unit culminated in a formal screening in the Grand Theatre and voting session with the entire Grade 7 cohort, followed by a Oscar-style awards ceremony during a full MYP assembly. The awards show was hosted by Grade 8 MSSG students and student leaders from the Into the Woods Jr. production. Students voted on standout achievements, recognizing excellence across a range of technical and performance categories.

2025 G7FF Award Winners

Best Film: Didn’t See That & The Phone (co-winners)

Best Director: Imm (Didn’t See That)

Best Actor: Bay (The Phone)

Best Actress: Grace (Didn’t See That)

Best Cinematographer: Kin (The Unspoken Thief)

Best Editors: Imm & Kin (The Unspoken Thief)

Best Sound Design: Kumzub, Zolar & Eiel (Bro, Where’s My Backpack?)

Best Production Design: Prinnie & Alice (The Phone)

While still in its early stages, this Intro to filml unit gave students a chance to explore film as a collaborative art form—and the results were imaginative, ambitious, and full of promise. With lights, cameras, and plenty of teamwork, G7FF proved that powerful storytelling doesn’t just happen on stage—it flourishes behind the camera as well.

Ms. Lindsay Stewart