The 22nd Annual Westflix Film Festival took place at Paramount Theatre March 15. Westflix is a student-run film festival sponsored by the school that invites student filmmakers across Los Angeles to submit their films to be reviewed and screened.
The festival also hosted guest speaker and prominent film director David Fincher, who has directed the sets of renowned films such as “Fight Club,” “The Social Network” and “Se7en.” Following Fincher’s question-and-answer panel, all 17 winning films were screened.
The subsequent award ceremony featured two school submissions; Francesca Varese-Riggen ’26 won the Lizzie Award for Cinematography and the Audience Choice Award for her film “El Deseo,” and Sabrina Simek ’26 won the Directors’ Choice Award for her film “Seeing Clearly.”
Visual Arts Teacher and Westflix Faculty Advisor Reb Limerick said visiting Paramount to plan beforehand was memorable.
“A highlight was probably the first time that we visited Paramount,” Limerick said. “[There was a] fountain, big arches that say Paramount Pictures, the historic gates and the sky was really dramatic when we were there. So once we got there, we were just like, we’re gonna be part of Paramount history.”
Fincher said when selecting collaborators, he values people who are dedicated to the entire process of making a film.
“I like people who work hard,” Fincher said. “I like to work hard. I like to get there early. I like to leave late. I like to make myself available to answer questions. That’s the opportunity that you have to really shape stuff, is when you are available to others. The collaborators that I appreciate the most are the people who know that you have to make mistakes.”
Sabrina Simek ’26 had two films in Westflix: “My Dog Did My Homework” and “Seeing Clearly.” Simek won the Directors’ Choice Award for her film, “Seeing Clearly,” a short film expressing the importance of mental health.
Simek said her experience making her film and submitting it to Westflix helped her learn how important being supported during the process is.
“I learned that building a community is really important,” Simek said. “Filmmaking is the place to build a community. It’s nice to meet other creative people and be inspired by them.”
Festival Director of Submissions Gideon Evans ’25 said he appreciates his team and faculty members who supported him throughout the process of planning the festival.
“Throughout the whole process, our team has worked really well together.” Evans said. “That was the best part, we mesh well together. There was a lot of organizational stuff that wasn’t great at the start, but it got better. Mx. [Reb] Limerick and [Brannon Cook] helped me so much throughout the process and it was amazing.”
