Student film festival May 14 features life in Wrangell

A film festival featuring student-created documentaries about different facets of Wrangell life will be held at the Nolan Center at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 14. Admission is free.

Middle school science teacher Laura Davies said the documentaries were created during the school year after two weeks of intense training with mentors from the nonprofit program See Stories.

"(We're) aiming for about 10 (documentaries), but it depends on how many finish their films in time," she said.

Based in Juneau, See Stories' goal is to build inclusive communities through what Davies described as "place-based videos."

Participating students in this year's film festival are members of an after-school documentary club called Stikine Stories. They were inspired to emulate classmates who made documentaries and podcasts after the program's two-week workshop last year.

"They saw the fancy equipment and the visiting instructors, Seth Bader and Javier Camacho, who were personable and 'cool,'" Davies said. "Many attended last year's film fest and a couple of students participated in last year's workshop. ... (Other) students wanted a turn, and many had an interest in doing a documentary."

Davies had such success last year that she was able to raise enough money to buy video equipment and continue the club for this school year.

She said the filmmaking work was set back for about three months because of the November landslide. "We picked the pace up again in March."

Davies explained how, during the documentary interview process, kids learned to approach subjects and come up with the right questions. "Not only are they learning about the community, they're seeing the people they interview as real people."

Whenever a student finishes their film, it's shown to at least one class, and their hard work and victories earned during production are celebrated. "That inspires other students," she said.

There will be a diverse range of themes featured in the festival including the Mariners' Memorial, the annual Hoop Shoot, the history of Nore's Dairy farm, a paddle-making workshop, wrestling, community theater and moose hunting.

The Mariners' Memorial effort was led by eighth grader Lucas Stearns. Like many of the students new to making documentaries, he was initially apprehensive about the process but soon excelled at it, particularly one aspect. "He was really, really good at interviewing," Davies said.

Lucas said his choice of subject was due to his interest in maritime history, and he appreciated getting to interview people and learn more about the memorial, including the story of the 1908 shipwreck of the Star of Bengal. He added that he might be interested in creating documentaries as a career, depending on the topic. "It would have to be something that would really interest me."

The average length of the videos is three to five minutes, though some are longer. "Editing is painful, and I feel like everyone wants to quit during editing," Davies said.

Many of the students agreed that editing was the most challenging part of the experience, including sixth grader Erica Jabusch, who worked on a documentary about the Hoop Shoot free throw contest with her seventh-grade brother Jimmy. "We had about 15 minutes of footage and then we got it down to about six," she said.

For eighth grader Susan Neff, editing wasn't quite as challenging as hauling the video and sound equipment to meet with her grandmother, retired nurse Linda Bjorge, the subject of her documentary. "It wasn't that far, though," Susan said. "It was like one-fourth of a mile."

Davies' students often pick the topics, and she lets them determine the narrative. "We focus on their interests, something that is accessible ... and often they pull from their own family, or family traditions or experiences," she said. "It brings families into the school in a positive way."

Davies added that some older residents who might be otherwise reluctant to be interviewed on camera are far more amenable doing so for their younger relatives. "They're willing to do anything for their grandkids."

Erica enjoyed the opportunity to interview her grandfather Jeff Jabusch, a longtime Hoop Shoot volunteer organizer, as well as kids who participated in the competition. "It was just a long process, but in the end, it turned out pretty good."

Other times, the subjects may not have much of a personal connection. "I have been very flexible and open to pursuing what topics interest the students, as long as it has a connection to Wrangell," Davies said. "I rarely say no to their ideas. ... It is really important that the student be invested and interested in the topic, or they won't want to keep going through the tedious editing phase."

Davies said a virtual option of the festival is being explored as a possibility for people who are out of town on May 14.

In addition to documentaries, Stikine Stories also produces podcasts. "We have three published podcasts, with two more in the editing phase, and two more to be recorded before the end of the year," Davies said.

To check out Stikine Stories' podcasts, visit podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/laura-davies.