Kids score in Chevy Chase Youth Film Festival

Chevy Chase Library rolled out the red carpet on Saturday for more than a dozen young Glendale filmmakers who screened their films during the Chevy Chase Youth Film Festival.

Last February, Glendale resident and mother Jeanette Reedy Solano rallied children and teens living in the Chevy Chase Canyon to produce films no longer than 12 minutes long based on a poem, short story or novel.

In addition, the youngsters had to write their own scripts without help from parents and accomplish all the directing.

Seventeen took on the task, many spending most of the summer directing family and friends who volunteered to take part.

Juliana Smith and Nora Casey won best musical honors for a portrayal of characters from “The Great Gatsby” dancing to “Gangnam Style” by the South Korean artist Psy in a piece titled “Gatsby Style.”

Another film portrayed the Wizard of Oz dependent on Siri, the Apple voice navigation application, which won student Jennifer Treptow best director and best film honors.

A panel of seven judges with their own screenwriting, acting and directing credits to their name ranked the entries.

At age eight, Aurora Reedy-Solano was the youngest in the group. Her film told the story of a man afraid to throw and catch, stemming from a baseball game he played as a boy in which he dropped a baseball that resulted in the opposing team winning a championship game.

To conquer his fear, characters in the film encourage Mr. Putter to toss and catch water balloons.

Aurora’s 81-year-old grandfather starred in the film as Mr. Putter, a role based on the elderly man in the “Mr. Putter & Tabby” book series.

As Aurora watched her film on Saturday, she said she felt confident after spending months on the project.

“I felt like, I did this, I made a film,” she said.

Aurora’s 13-year-old brother, Dante Reedy-Solano, won best screenplay and comedy for his film about detectives Sherlock Holmes, Monk and Miss Marple joining forces to crack a homicide case in Glendale.

Their mother, Jeanette Reedy Solano, said more than 80 people attended the film festival. She said she hopes more children will feature their work again next year.

“All the kids were just amazingly talented,” she said. “I think we do have the next Spielberg or Bigelow living in our canyon.”

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Follow Kelly Corrigan on Twitter: @kellymcorrigan.

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