Published September 30, 2026
By GRIFFIN STEELY
Three Carmel High School student films tackling issues teenagers face, including grief, identity struggles, and stress, will be played at the Carmel International Film Festival alongside movies from directors throughout the world.
A skillful manipulator of emotion, senior Ava Daniels (center) hopes to become a director after she graduates college. Photo By GRIFFIN STEELY
“The students at Carmel High School need to know that they are the inheritors of a world-class artistic legacy in Carmel that encompasses some of the most prominent artists in the history of California,” says event director Lawrence Roeck. “To see students in our community make such incredible films is a confirmation that Carmel’s artistic legacy will not be fading anytime soon.”
Seniors Dorian Jeffers and Ava Daniels have both created films featured in the festival in the past, but for junior Christian Beltran, this is his first time at the festival. He directed and produced his first film, titled “Shenandoah,” on his own last year and with that, made it into the festival.
“We had a death in the family and around me, people were expressing emotions in different ways,” says Beltran. “Some people were silent, some people were visibly upset and some people just lashed out without reason. I decided to put the complexity of those emotions into a film.”
The film takes an experimental approach with no dialogue and features several stages of grief and loss. By utilizing this, he opens a door for personal interpretation. Beltran hopes people take the time to find meaning in his film, even connections that he never intended.
Senior Dorian Jeffers is a mastermind in visual effects and hopes to go into the field after college. Photo By GRIFFIN STEELY
In contrast to Beltran, Jeffers had a large team behind him including a band consisting of Carmel seniors William Drumright as well as Matt and Eli David. He filmed the movie over the course of six months and heavily incorporated VFX to create an atmosphere not possible in the Carmel region.
“I couldn’t really live in the moment,” says Dorian Jeffers, who plans to go into the film industry. “I was always stressed about something, like either something I regret from the past or worrying about college and my future. I wanted to make a film about learning to live in the moment and not letting things tie you down.”
Jeffers’ specialty is in the realm of visual effects and with his movie “Deep Above,” he takes this to the next level, creating a world that seamlessly binds his actors into the backdrop.
Junior Christian Beltran leans into the experimental style of filmmaking. Photo By GRIFFIN STEELY
Meanwhile, Ava Daniels leans heavily into the emotional aspects of her film “Right Handed.”
“I decided to make a film that portrays a teenage boy who is in love with his best friend, but doesn’t know how to say it,” says Daniels, who also plans to go into movie making. “It ends up kind of creating a void in their friendship and explores how he feels through an essay that he has to write.”
The festival provides an opportunity for students to share their work and effort with a larger audience than the school itself can provide.
“It’s a great opportunity for students to get their work out there because we create things in class, then it just evaporates into the cloud,” says Video Production teacher Brian Granbery. “That’s not what film and video are for. They’re to be seen.”
The festival will take place Oct. 1-4.
