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The three documentaries screened at the festival could not have been more diverse in their subject matter: behind the scenes with two local fire fighters, the everyday life of a teacher outside the classroom, and an up-close and personal look at life on the streets for a group of homeless men. The “Best Documentary Short” award went to Marlene Perez and Shemika Lamare for their film “Just a Number.” The girls’ interview-style documentary shot on the streets of Los Angeles was both sensitive and compelling as they illustrated that these men are not just another number in the system but are individuals who because of drugs, illness or circumstance are now living lives quite different from the ones they envisioned for themselves.

The short films came in all varieties: creepy suspense, laugh-out-loud comedy, and even sweetly poignant.  Miguel Castaneda, Allison Hopkins and Ariel Kay won the “Best Live Action Short (TV2)” for their comedy, “I Scream,” which follows a girl’s quest for an ice cream which takes some rather unusual twists and turns along the way.

Miriam Burke won the "Excellence in Cinematography Award" for her short film, "This End Up," which tells the unusual, yet touching story of a child who seeks refuge from the frightening world by hiding in a box.

In an evening filled with stars of TV/Video Production, one the brightest was Brenda Lopez.  She won “Best Video Editing” for her film “Enclosure,” for which she also shared the award “Best Live Action Short (TV3)” with Sarah Kolvas. “Enclosure” tells the story of the aftermath of an automobile accident with an almost “Sixth Sense”-style sensibility, as reality shifts between the past, present, and something else very different.

In addition, Brenda won the evening’s top award, “The Christine Williams Scholarship for Excellence in Flimmaking.”  According to Mr. Lee, “Brenda has been the face of our program for the last two and a half years.”  And it’s easy to see why; Brenda has been in the TV/Video Production class since its inception.  The irony is that before taking Mr. Lee's class, she really didn't have any interest in filmmaking.  Said Brenda, "I joined (Mr. Lee's class) because I was in his Sophomore Honors English and his approach to teaching completely changed my perceptive of education and film.  I was surprised by how symbolic literature and film can be and how through each of them one is able to convey a powerful message.  It never felt like a class to me; it felt like I was doing what I was meant to do."

Brenda plans to pursue her love of filmmaking after she leaves high school.  In fact, as a Gates Millennium Scholar the educational opportunities available to her are virtually unlimited.  This fall she will be attending San Francisco State University with a double major in Cinema and English.  She plans to transfer into a graduate film program in either Los Angeles or New York.  Said Brenda, "After graduating I plan on attending graduate school to get my masters in film and possibly education.  I want to have my own production company and begin making movies, editing, directing, writing, anything to do with film.  Being able to work and make a living off of what I love would be ideal.  I am aiming as high as I possibly can hoping to end up in  a place where I am comfortable and happy."

Like Brenda, the students in Chris Lee’s Film Production courses have not only learned the basics of filmmaking but have attained the knowledge and skills to develop their own voices through the art of video production. During the awards ceremony, Mr. Lee asked the students in the audience who are planning to continue their study of filmmaking in college to stand: Fifteen students stood. With the solid foundation in filmmaking they’ve attained at A.B. Miller and will continue to build upon in the next few years, it may just be a matter of time before their work is screened at Sundance, or even Cannes.

Online Resources

• Click here to find out more about A.B. Miller High School's Rebel Productions.
• "Behind the Scenes: David Blaine,"
• "The Physics of Life"
• "Station 71"

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