She’s only 17 years old, but aspiring filmmaker Skyler Buffmyer’s poignant work is already being shown at international film festivals in the United States and Canada.
The Oxford High School junior’s short film entitled ‘Death the Dialogue? was selected to premiere at the Toronto Student Film Festival on Saturday, April 24.
‘I was actually really surprised that people liked it because I didn’t think it was that good,? said Buffmyer, who will head to Canada with her family.
With a running time of two minutes and 14 seconds, the film features Buffmyer expressing her thoughts and feelings about life and death as various images are shown to reflect what she’s talking about.
‘It’s a video diary in the sense it’s how I feel,? she said.
What’s particularly striking about her film, which can be viewed at www.skylerbuffmyer.com, is Buffmyer’s raw honesty about her self-image, her feelings about going to therapy and her fear of death.
‘I’ve always done silly videos with friends. This is the first serious film I’ve ever made,? she said. ‘It’s definitely a way to express yourself.?
She shot the film using a Flip Video digital camcorder she won in a Mountain Dew contest a couple years ago.
Last month, Buffmyer and her family traveled to San Francisco, California because her film was shown at the Disposable Film Festival. It was one of 22 short films selected from more than 1,000 international submissions.
‘I had a really great experience out there because everyone that was involved with it was really passionate,? she noted.
Buffmyer was the youngest filmmaker at the festival and her short premiered at the 101-year-old Roxie Theater, the oldest continuously operating movie theater in San Francisco.
‘It was definitely scary because it was the first time it was on the big screen and it was sold out,? Buffmyer said. ‘I got a lot of compliments. I had people come up to me and say that they liked it, which was really surprising.?
Although ‘Death the Dialogue? won’t be shown at the 42nd Michigan Student Film & Video Festival, Buffmyer is slated to receive an Award of Excellence for it.
Unfortunately, she won’t be able to accept it in person because the Michigan festival ? to be held at the Detroit Film Theatre inside the Detroit Institute of Arts ? takes place the same day as the one in Toronto.
Buffmyer is honing her filmmaking skills at OHS in Bruce Holladay’s Video Media class and as part of the Media Students Club.
She’s currently working to get a film festival established at the high school.
‘We’re going to start advertising it this year and over the summer,? she said. ‘We’re going to probably do it around October.?
Film isn’t just a hobby for Buffmyer, it’s her passion.
Her influences include Woody Allen, Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock and Michael Moore.
‘I want to study film at college and do it as a career. I’m really interested in documentaries,? she said. ‘My dream college is NYU, but that’s way too expensive.?