My hands shook as I wiped them on my jeans, attempting to hide the fact that they were unnaturally sweaty in a perfectly temperate auditorium. My heart began to race while trying to keep up with the blood that was traveling rapidly to my face, betraying my nervousness. And then the film started.

This past weekend, the town of Bel Air had its first ever film festival at the Bel Air Reckord Armory. The movies “Captains Courageous,” “Afghan Star,” and “The English Surgeon” were screened on Friday and Saturday, while local student films were screened and judged on Sunday.

JC students and alumni dominated the modest student film portion of the festival, claiming ownership of six of the eight films that were shown. Senior Jess Crawford submitted a short film entitled “Poem Story,” while Henry Basta, class of ’07, entered three joint projects into the festival; “Pushover,” a short film made with his sister Brooke Basta, currently a junior at JC, and “I Was A Power Ranger” and “Kurt’s Lullaby,” both created with Jay Karolenko, class of ’08.

As each film played, my body grew increasingly tense, knowing that soon my own film, “Hoopla,” would appear on the big screen for the small but eager audience of about 20 people. The anxiety I had felt when “Hoopla” was first shown at The Friends Film Festival in Baltimore almost two years ago, returned to me, and it was just as strong. In the moments right before the opening scene of my film, all I could focus on was the audience’s impending reaction; that was the only thing that mattered.

Filmmaking has the capability of becoming a surprisingly personal endeavor. For Henry Basta, it is a way to take what was in his head and put it on a screen for other people to see. It’s a peek into his imagination, andin Henry’s opinion, there is no better medium through which to accomplish such a task. Essentially, the audience’s reaction to a film is a judgment of the filmmaker’s ideas and dreams.

So there I sat. My palms sweaty, heart pounding, blood rushing. Vulnerable and defenseless while allowing strangers a ten minute glimpse into my thoughts and personality. But with each appropriate chuckle, my heart rate slowed. At the final approving sound of applause, I was able to exhale.

With such a creative and diligent group of filmmakers, the judges had their work cut out for them when it came time to present the awards. Much to my surprise, “Hoopla” won a Judge’s Choice Award for its unique storyline. Jordan Fritz, class of ’07, also took home a Judge’s Choice Award for the creativity and style of his short movie “Coke Commercial/Unheard Voices.”

Honorable Mention went to Henry Basta and Jay Karolenko for their two short films, both of which incorporated original music and lyrics.

According to Trish Heidenreich, Bel Air Economic Development Director, who took charge of the logistics and management of the festival, plans for a 2010 film festival are already underway. As the director of economic development of Bel Air, Heidenreich explained that part of her job is to create events and activities that will generate interest and encourage people to visit Bel Air.

Heidenreich and her co-worker Rebecca Jessop used their love of movies to do just that with the film festival. Although its small budget prevented ample promotional opportunities, Heidenreich hopes that the publicity from this year’s festival will produce an even larger turn out next year, with more student film categories and bigger prizes.

With the community’s integration of a film festival, all students, whether they prefer dance, photography, music, or writing, will have a chance to express themselves through film, the one artistic mean that can combine all of these various forms of art.