The first annual Santa Clarita International Film Festival (SCIFF) brought filmmakers from around the world to share their works in Santa Clarita this December.

The December 9-12 festival’s opening night was hosted at the brand new Laemmle Theatre in Old Town Newhall, with the remainder of the festival hosted a short drive away at the Valencia Regal Edwards Theater.

Student filmmaker Sol Lopez wrote, narrated, shot and edited her micro-short film “El Regreso,” as a part of one of her film classes at College of the Canyons (COC), with Martina Jordan performing as the main role, and music by A Bizares.

El Regreso from sol lopez on Vimeo.

“I was actually really surprised, because it’s such a short film, it’s literally two and a half minutes,” Lopez said. “I was really shocked and happy, like wow I can’t believe that’s all you have to do, to just put yourself out there and you might get a cool opportunity.”

Lopez is currently studying for her film and media bachelor’s degree at the University of California Santa Barbara, and entered two projects for approval, with only one making the cut.

“It was really surreal,” Lopez said. “Just having my film be shown up there in a movie theater, because I’ve never experienced that.”

In the future, Lopez hopes to continue pursuing a career as a filmmaker, and hopes that the relationships she builds while at school and working on other projects will help her continue moving forward.

“Stay focused, and stay a good person to work with, because people will remember that and keep you in mind,” Lopez advised other burgeoning creators. “Regardless of how talented you are, if you’re not a very nice person to work with, they won’t want to work with you.”

At the age of 9, A started playing guitar, but didn’t take the hobby seriously until they were in their early teens.

“It was my first time composing from scratch for a short film,” A said. “It was inspired by Spanish-style music, with a bit of my own flair.”

With an Associates in Sound Arts from COC, A is currently studying audio engineering at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

“It goes hand-in-hand with film, I think being able to compose a song for a film really helped me get my feet wet.”

In the future, A hopes to work in film or animation as a sound editor or designer.

“Follow your dreams,” A advised. “Keep doing what you’re doing, and don’t stop doing it no matter what other people say, because you might regret not taking those opportunities”

A graduate of Valencia High School and son of a film editor himself, the Santa Clarita International Film Festival was an opportunity for Shane Ryan-Reid to share his work in his old hometown.

“I’ve never played in the theater where I lived before, that was just pretty surreal,” Ryan-Reid said. “Everybody really seemed like they wanted to be there.”

Working as a producer and actor in two films featured in the festival, “A Christmas Love” and “A Wiseguy Christmas” – both in the narrative feature film categories – Ryan-Reid noted that he was impressed by the organization and hospitality offered by the organizers of the SCIFF.

He also cautioned creators, especially those with time and experience under their belts, to stay open to new ideas.

“Every time I see a film by someone really young I feel like I’m just starting,” Ryan said. “Don’t feel like you know everything, don’t become so vain that you can’t look at people half your age for advice.”

To find out more info about the festival, click here.

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