Jenna Heil’s (’23) Short Selected for LA Student Film Festival

Montserrat alumna Jenna Heil’s (’23) animated short film, Nymphaea is being screened at the 6^th LA Student Film Festival!

The LA Student Film Festival celebrates the work of high school, undergrad and graduate film students. Heil’s film was selected alongside others from a competitive pool of submissions.

Nymphaea served as Heil’s senior thesis; the capstone to their work here at Montserrat. The animated short follows “an unexpected and magical turn of events at a summer camp, where a lifeguard discovered a mysterious and beautiful creature in the lake while rescuing a camper.” Heil says that their goal with the film was to weave together nostalgia, humor, wonder, and romance. Graphic novels and cartoons from the 2000’s and 2010’s inspired and influenced the nature of the work.

Per Heil: “This project was such a joy to create with the support of the AIM Class of 2023, and I am so grateful that our amazing instructors (Jeong-a Seong, Blyth Hazen, and Hannah O’Neal) encouraged us to submit to festivals and believe in our work.”

The 6^th LA Student Film Festival runs from September 21^st-24^th at Let Live Theater in Los Angeles. Anyone who can’t wait (or can’t make it out to Los Angeles) can watch the short film here.