AHS will be hosting it’s first Animation Film Festival on March 16, from 6-8 p.m. in Clausen Hall. The festival will showcase the artwork and films created by talented AHS students. The Festival is a countywide event that is open to all FCPS students.

“It feels great to be hosting the festival because I believe it will not only be an enjoyable experience, but also give me experience in leadership and presentation skills that will be needed later in my life,” senior Riley Payung said.

Students will be presenting original artwork and animations which they have created mainly through technology, using computers for flash and 3D programs. AHS animation members have submitted and compiled all of the counties videos in order to be presented as one whole film.

There will be around 24 students at the event who have entries for the festival, and the AHS Animation Club hopes to have the participants’ parents there as well. The students are anticipating having around 60 people in the audience.

“I expect the night to go well, because it is a collaborative effort between many different high schools and beneficial for the students to be exposed to many different people, and possibly even colleges,” Payung said.

The event will be divided into sessions. Students will present the first ten animations, and after an intermission, there will be more animations presented to the audience.

Towards the end of the event, the students who entered to participate in the Film Festival, will be showing the audience how they created their work, giving them the opportunity to come up to the students and ask questions or even comment on the presentations.

Animation students have at AHS access to 3D printers, tablets and programs like MAYA which other schools do not have. They spend hours outside of school preparing their animation films.

“I am always amazed by the hard work and dedication students put into to the work they do,” IB animation teacher, Suellen Merlo said. “Students are just eating up their resources and learning new things about film and different programs every day.”

The event is sure to attract a crowd and will hopefully become a tradition at Annandale.

“We hope to have people come see the animations at the festival, and just have a good time because it is a fun event,” Merlo said.