Suha Cho, a sophomore at WHHS, placed first in her category at the Passaic County Film Festival. The festival took place on April 22, 2017 at 10:00 AM, at the Fabian 8 Cinema. There were over 100 participants, and six categories with 100 films in total.

Cho was entered in a category called “High School Short Films,” with five other contestants.

The film was about a girl who struggles through life, and experiences suicidal thoughts at low points. The film shows a girl on her birthday for many years, and as the years go on, the girl gets more and more depressed. By the end of the film, she turns out loving her life, and realising how far she has come from the depression she felt all the years before.

“It was kind of a last minute decision, Mr. Hoogstrate told me how much potential my film had, so I just entered it,” said Cho.

The main message the short film portrayed that even when things seem like they will never get better you have to be strong and realize you will not be sad forever; the overall message inspired the viewers.

“I taught her how to edit, provided her with the tools necessary to produce the video, and I pushed her to get it done,” Hoogstrate said.

“The film festival was a very good experience, I met a lot of new people who have really good ideas,” said Cho.