By Dane Anderson, Staff Writer

The Eanes school district and Safe Homes are well-accustomed to partnering up for a good cause, but this year the duo joined forces for something a little different – a film festival to showcase the real dangers underage alcohol abuse poses to high school students. 

They wanted the films to be in a language teenagers could understand, so administrators decided to let the kids do the talking and the filming. After all, kids listen to other kids a lot better than they listen to adults, said Shayna Feldman, Eanes project director for a grant to reduce alcohol abuse in the district.

“This is one of many programs that is completely student driven,” Feldman said. “We are trying to have students giving other students important messages about underage drinking, binge drinking and drinking and driving.”

Films submitted for the Short Film contest had to be five minutes or less in length and created by a team of five or less Westlake High School students. Feldman said the first Short Film Festival, held at the WHS Performing Arts Center during standardized testing days in April, was a success, with more than 1,700 students viewing and voting on the 48 films presented by their   peers. 

The 2009 WHS Short Film Festival first-place winner was “Drugs Bite,” a film by Ryan Summersett, Ariel Ximenes and Timothy Spinelli. The film won a $1,000 cash award from Safe Homes. The three film students donated their cash prize to the W*REC film club to help in the completion and promotion of the short film “Driver’s Ed.”

A second-place award of $500 went to David Joseph for his film “Dear Mom.” Students Cary Berryhill and Allie Goldstick won a $250 award for their film “Weighed Down.” Berryhill and Goldstick were also awarded the Safe Homes Parent’s Choice honor.