On May 20., the VCTC short film festival was held in Glendale High School’s auditorium, the John Wayne Performing Arts Center. Films from different high schools and colleges, all in the Los Angeles area were shown. Clark Magnet’s film was one of the few schools that had their film presented on the big screen.

The movie, “A House Divided”, is a movie based in the Civil War, the plot being six Union soldiers trying to find which one of them is a Confederate spy. “This movie is very different and innovative, said junior Mher Arutyunyan, the film’s director. “The way in which we shot the film and how professional we did it really distinguished it to our counterparts.”

In fact, the Clark film team hired professional actors and they traveled to Ft. Tejon, an old Civil War fort in Lebec, California. This was different from the other schools, with many of the other films being shot locally. Also in attendance were the actors themselves who were in the film.

Gatlin Bounds, who played Sgt. Robert Cage, was one of the actors in attendance. “I loved participating on this film,” Bounds said. “The way my character was created just made him so powerful, which is one of the reasons I enjoyed playing him.” Clark’s film was the last film shown at the festival, and is also the film that received the most thunderous applause.

Cinematography teacher Matt Stroup, who is also leaving Clark after this at the end of the school year, tried to enjoy the moment. “I love the movie we created and I love these students,” Stroup said. “This is definitely bittersweet for me, as it is my last year here at Clark, but I am proud to be leaving with a great film like this one.”

After the showing the films, there was a small after party for everyone at the festival. Many of the Clark students found the filmmaking process to be a rewarding experience. “It was great to see all of our hard work come to fruition,” said senior Ani Sarkisian, the film’s head editor. “To see the expressions of pride and excitement on your loved ones faces when they see your hard work really made the whole experience for me, which will make me treasure the work I have done here forever.”