Eagle Pass ISD Holds Third Annual Frontera Film Festival

By: Anthony Sifuentes

Hard work and dedication does pay off, as was proven by the 2012 Frontera Film Festival held this past weekend, May 18-19, at the EPISD Student Activity Center.

It was a two-night event – Friday and Saturday – that brought together students from Eagle Pass, C.C. Winn, Del Rio, and Judson High School, independents, and other aspiring filmmakers in a display of talent and perseverance.

The event was put together by Media Technology Instructors Jessie Fuentes of C.C. Winn High School and Robert Rodriguez and Gustavo Gonzales of Eagle Pass High School, in cooperation with Del Rio and Judson High School and with assistance by the C.C. Winn Colloquium.

Held in the air-conditioned basketball gym of the SAC, two large screens were set up for the screening of the films. Admission was free, rows of chairs were set up in the middle of the gym floor, and snacks and drinks were sold for the public to better enjoy the films.

The festivities began Friday night with an hour-long musical performance. Musical talents featured were Grupo Ficcion, Grupo Razon, and Lend Me Your Lie. Following the music came the screening of the films. There was a 15-minute intermission after the first 25, after which the films resumed. Due to the influx of entries in this year’s festival, only 49 of the 82 films were shown Friday night. On Saturday night, the festival again opened with more musical performances.

The remaining films were screened and the festival concluded with the awards presentation in which winners in 13 categories were announced.

The Third Annual Eagle Pass Independent School District Frontera Film Festival was a great success.

As stated above, in a huge jump from about 10 films the first year, and about 36 films last year, 82 films were screened for this event. As a result, new categories had to be created for the awards.

The films ranged from short films to documentaries, from music videos to public service announcements. Topics/issues dealt with everything from parodies of pop culture such as Pokémon to serious dilemmas such as abusive relationships. It was a showcase of a vast array of talents: writing, acting, directing, editing, etc…

The increase in the number of films is a tribute not only to the growth of the media technology program in general, but also how far the students have come. Robert Rodriguez says the festival is a culmination of all the skills the students have obtained: “Students produced various films throughout the whole year… and we believe that they deserve recognition for what they’ve done throughout the year.

It’s a lot of video that they produce, so that’s why this year we made several categories and it grew a lot…” The festival is also a reminder that creating the films is a big commitment: “Making a video is not easy. It takes a while to do. It takes a lot of work and takes a lot of support from people to either help you by coming out in your video or by helping you out as a crew,” says Rodriguez.

Come fall, planning will immediately begin on next year’s festival. Rodriguez also sees big, positive changes for the media tech program as a whole: “We’re expecting more girls in our program. We’re expecting a lot more students next year. We’re just expecting to continue improving.”

On a special note, the Eagle Pass Business Journal’s own Miguel Munoz was the recipient of Second Place in the Film Short (5:00 – 10:00 min) category for “Rising Eden”.

Special Recognition Award
Jesus Nieto – Eagle Pass High School
Homero Morales

Sports Video Category
3rd Place: Del Rio High School – Track & Field – Dominique Wright
2nd Place: Eagle Pass High School – Lady Eagles Volleyball – Ilse Escobar
1st Place: Eagle Pass High School – Just Run (Cross Country) – Alyssa Esquivel
Cheer/Dance Category
3rd Place: C.C. Winn High School – Mav Cheer – Kimberly Felan
2nd Place: Eagle Pass High School – EPHS Cheer – Alyssa Esquivel
1st Place: C.C. Winn High School – The Dance of My Life – Rosemary Sada
Music Video Category
3rd Place: Eagle Pass High School – EPSN Crew Intro – Bre Salinas and Martin Sanchez
2nd Place: C.C. Winn High School – Heart – Cassandra Cruz
1st Place: Del Rio High School – 1st Day of School – Louis Zylka
Original News Story Category
3rd Place: C.C. Winn High School – Puntas de Vista – Samantha Jo Escamilla
2nd Place: Eagle Pass High School – BPA News – Mario Salazar
1st Place: Del Rio High School – To Selena, With Love – Viridiena Urteya
Documentary Category
3rd Place: C.C. Winn – Paranormal 8 – Jessica Sanchez
2nd Place: Del Rio High School – Skate (Del Rio) – Mimo Navarro
1st Place: Del Rio High School – Doin Right – Tyler Trevino
Film Short – (:30 – 1:00 min.)
3rd Place: Eagle Pass High School – Strawberry Soda Commercial – Natalie Sanchez
2nd Place: Eagle Pass High School – Eagle Basketball Teaser – Jesus Nieto
1st Place: Del Rio High School – Tribute to Steve Jobs – Louis Zylka
Film Short – (10:00 – 15:00 min.)
3rd Place: C.C. Winn High School – Red Silence – Walter Fritsche
2nd Place: C.C. Winn High School – Behind Closed Doors – Valerie Martinez
1st Place: C.C. Winn High School – League – Luis Cueto
Film Short – (5:00 – 10:00 min.)
3rd Place: C.C. Winn High School – If Movies Were Real – Carmelo Pereira
2nd Place: Calamity Entertainment – Rising Eden – Miguel Munoz
1st Place: Judson High School – The Case of the Misused Comma – Joshua Zello
Film Short – (3:00 – 5:00 min.)
3rd Place: C.C. Winn High School – Pokémon – Adrian Estrada
2nd Place: Eagle Pass High School – Remember Me – Lorena Munoz
1st Place: C.C. Winn High School – Possession – Luis Cueto
30 Second PSA – (Public Service Announcement)
3rd Place: C.C. Winn High School – Don’t Litter – Diomar Franco
2nd Place: Del Rio High School – Dating Violence – Nicholas Rodriguez
1st Place: Del Rio High School – Adopt a Pet – Dawn Shamus
Frontera Commercial Category
3rd Place: C.C. Winn High School – Lights, Camera, Action – Samantha Jo Escamilla
2nd Place: Eagle Pass High School – Man’s Best Friend – Mario Salazar
1st Place: Del Rio High School – Frontera Commercial #1 – Natalie Cadena
Best of Show Category
Eagle Pass High School – Just Run – Cross Country – Alyssa Esquivel