A Success Once Again: The 2026 MBHS Film Fest

On April 13, MBHS had its annual film festival at the Bay Theater in Morro Bay. Typically, the festival has six categories; however, this year, there were no animation or foreign language films submitted, there were only films submitted in the comedy, horror, drama, and miscellaneous categories. 

Nonetheless, students, staff, and family members alike all gathered in anticipation in the Bay Theater lobby at precisely 6:00 p.m., excited to see all of the hard work MBHS students put into their films.

Seniors and TV video students Joss Finch and Alana Shields hosted the event, as well as submitted a film to the miscellaneous category, called “Beyond the Screen,” along with the films “SLO Burn” and “The Bank Job.”

“This year we saw such amazing films, and it was such a wonderful experience to see them broadcast to our community…being able to host the event was just the cherry on top,” said Finch.

In the comedy category, the films “Vampire Problems,” “The Rock’s Fate,” and “Pepsiman” were shown, with Pepsiman winning the Comedy Finalist’s Award and the Pirate’s Choice Award. Dexter Parks, the star of the film, said, “It was very cool to win. I worked hard on it. I was getting a little nervous when Vampire Problems was shown. I thought it was going to give us a run for our money.”

In the horror category, there were the films “The Notes,” “The Tunnel Chasers,” and “The Hitchhiker.” 

Beatrice Appel, one of the creators of the winning film, The Hitchhiker, said, “Winning the film fest was the most fulfilling I’ve ever felt in my entire life. Nothing compares to the moment the announcers call your name as the winner of your category. I don’t think I will ever peak like this again.”

In the drama category, the films were “Insert Movie Title Here,” “Art Assignment,” which won Best In Show, and “The Failing Student and the Rain,” which won the Drama Category’s finalist award.

Ember Teresi, who wrote and acted in the film The Failing Student and the Rain, said, “My film was about the struggles of students and the pressure for academic excellence. When I won, it was a surprise, but it was very exciting. The drama category had some great films.”

Emerson Jacquay, who did the film Insert Movie Title Here, encouraged more students to partake in the film fest in future years,  “I’ve done the film fest every year for three years. This year, I was lacking some motivation and was unsure what to make my film about, so I made it about a student who was going through what I was, struggling to create a film,” said Jaquay,  “The festival was and is such a wonderful opportunity. You can really express yourself creatively. I just love it.”