“My ultimate goal is to make a film that will stick in people’s minds forever in a positive way,” said film director Nathan Laolagi.

Laolagi won the awards for Best Director as well as Best Picture at the Cypress College Film Festival this past Thursday.

The film was entitled “A Revenge Story,” and was about a brother hell bent on seeking revenge for the murder of his sister.

Where he got his inspiration for the film, Laolagi said, “I was watching a lot of film noir movies and I wanted to base the film on that.”

The student theater was packed to the brim with supportive family members, friends, as well cast and crew members who were part of the films themselves.

Cypress College’s Media Arts Design department hosts the annual student film festival every May.

Within the MAD department is the Digital Cinema production program which teaches students the art and technology of filmmaking and digital animation tools.

According to Cypress College’s MAD department website the guidelines for student entries are as follows:

-Film Festival entrants must be currently enrolled in a college or high school

-Films must have been completed within the twelve months prior to April 19, 2013

-Films may have been produced with video or film processes

-Films must have been made by student crews, writers, directors, (no professionals)

-Cheers and clapping were heard after each of the 19 films throughout the night. The fun and supportive energy throughout the room was almost palpable.

Awards were given out for achievements such as Best Action, Best Parody, Best Horror, and Best Biography.

Chauntel Carmen also was one of the filmmakers to take home an award. Her film, entitled “Cosplay: Behind the Craft,” won the trophy for Best Documentary. Her documentary asked people who participate in cosplay such questions as, “why do you cosplay?” and “what is cosplay?”

According to whatiscosplay.com, it is “is an abbreviation of Costumed Roleplay. In short, to cosplay is to dress as a character from a Japanese animated TV show or a video game, and to act as that character”.

Carmen describes herself as “an average 22 year old with a non average hobby known as cosplay.” She said that for herself and many others like her, it is just another wonderful part of her life.

“I liked seeing how the cast interacted with the directors and how people responded to the movies. Everybody seemed so happy. It didn’t even seem like a competition, everyone was really supportive of each other,” said Lizette Negrette who assisted on set of one of the films as a photographer.

Students walked away from the film festival that night with smiles plastered on their faces that were no doubt brought on by a sense of accomplishment and personal growth.