Last Friday, Weddington’s AP Spanish class performed their tradition of the film festival called “Cortos de Terror”, or Short Horror Films. The event was orchestrated by the AP Spanish teacher, Mrs. Martinez. AP Spanish students were put into five groups and spent several rigorous weeks filming and editing, leading up to their public showing. Each group was assigned to create a horror film in Spanish with English subtitles. A total of five films and one trailer, used for the introduction, were produced.

The Spanish class debuted their films by “invitation only” in front of about 150 career/technical education, art, and foreign language students during second block. They recreated the Oscars by lining the floors with red carpet and dressing in gowns and suits. The festival lasted for about an hour and consisted of five showings, and was followed by an awards ceremony where students were asked to vote for the best film. The films presented were: “Passenger”, “The Mime”, “Ouija”, “The Chatter”, and “The Death Cleaners”. The categories for the awards were: Best Music and Sounds, Best Editing, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Production, and Best Overall. Allie Gaytan, Annamarie Michaels, and Jackson O’Hara received the awards for Best Music and Sounds, Best Editing, Best Actress, Best Production, and Best Overall in “Passenger” and “The Mime”. Annamarie Michaels explains, “The audience was screaming, jumping, and full of reactions! It was so much fun and such a success. I received so much positive feedback from my friends and the audience. They truly seemed terrified.” Colin Price won Best Actor in “Ouija”.

Mrs. Martinez was able to implement learning through entertainment and inclusion, while creating memories for her students. Fellow warrior Kailee Ursini, says “It was entertaining to see all the movies and the hard work the AP Spanish students put into their projects”. The tradition brought spirit and enthusiasm throughout the school and proved to be a success.