On April 26, 2025, the Digital Arts & Film Television (DAFT) will celebrate 57 years of hosting the Michigan Student Film Festival. Hosted by emcee Ryan Patrick Hooper, from WDET’s “In the Groove,” the Michigan Student Film Festival offers various awards, with over 400 entries each year.
This film festival is a staple event for K-12 students across Michigan, offering an opportunity for their work to be documented and awarded at the Detroit Institute of Arts’ Detroit Film Theatre. Steve Geresy, TV production teacher at South and North High School and former DAFT Educator of the Year, believes the festival is essential for aspiring student creators.
“We have been participating as a program since the late 1980s, early 1990s, and we’ve been entering student work into this festival … it’s a great way for students to get recognized for their creativity and their production work,” Gersey said.
Gersey, with experience in competitions like DAFT, sees entering as a success in itself.
“Having professionals look at our work, getting feedback from that work, and being recognized is huge, but I think it’s important to create projects with a purpose, and if we can have people see it, I think that’s the power of this medium,” Geresy said.
The DAFT offers awards like:
Merit, Honor, Excellence and Best-in-Show. Best-In-Show submissions are then screened at the festival.
This year, South has received Best-in-Show for the documentary The History of TV, created by Sara Dimitrijevic ’25, Annabelle Krayditch ’26, Siobhan McGlone ’25 and Grace Geresey ’27.
The experience is not just enjoyable, but can also be appealing in different ways.
“I really like it, the competition, it’s really fun,” Krayditch said.
Not only does the festival serve as entertainment, but it can be very beneficial for one’s future goals.
“You can put it on college applications. If you wanna go into the film industry, or media industry, it shows your experience,” Grace Geresey added.
Connecting to the group’s thoughts, Steve Geresy believes that the overall experience goes beyond classroom teachings.
“It allows them to create something that maybe was not introduced in class, but it allows them to expand their creativity, expertise, and experiences,” Steve Geresy said. “And as a program, I believe participating is an important part of what we do because we’re not only the news – we also try to integrate creativity as well.”