A Hart High School graduate is set to debut a short film that he wrote, directed and starred in at the LA Shorts International Film Festival Sunday.

Carl Bird McLaughlin, who graduated from Hart High in 2005, created his short film, “Human Sun,” to reflect struggles he had gone through in his own life.

“I wanted to make something that was more of an abstract representation of my spiritual struggles,” McLaughlin said.

The 12-minute film is about a spiritual teacher in the middle of a mental breakdown, who finds hope from an unlikely source. The film originally made its world premiere at the 2018 Marfa Film Festival on July 14 in Texas.

“This is a very personal story,” McLaughlin said. “I’m glad that I have the opportunity to share something so personal. We want to share it with as many people as possible.”

McLaughlin was exposed to acting at a young age. Both of his parents were actors and loved movies. His father would sit with him and show him “important” films, while his mother introduced him to photography and the technical aspects of capturing images.

“It left a mark on me,” McLaughlin said. “I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life.”

After McLaughlin wrote the script for “Human Sun,” he began to crowd-fund in order to raise money for the film. By the end, his team was able to raise nearly $10,000 for the project, according to McLaughlin

The next step was three days of actual filming. The majority of that time was spent filming in a modular theatre at CalArts, where McLaughlin graduated from in 2011.

“The high point was having all my crew all come together to shoot for those three days,” McLaughlin said. “Everyone has to be in the zone. It’s exhilarating, because you’re creating something from nothing.”

After filming wrapped, the crew spent several months in post-production, piecing the film together and creating what the audience would actually see on-screen when it debuted.

“I’m so happy with it,” McLaughlin said. “(Films) don’t always come out exactly the way you want it, but I’m a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason.”

“Human Sun” is set to debut in the LA Shorts International Film Festival at the Laemmle Noho 7 in North Hollywood on Sunday, July 29 at 7:45 p.m.

“I’d love for people to know that if they want to support small films, films about difficult subjects, films that aren’t necessarily big-budget blockbuster types, this is a good opportunity to do so,” McLaughlin said. “If they want to see something that’s going to make them a little self-reflective and also entertained, I would encourage them to go.”

Tickets for “Human Sun” can be bought here.

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