Pell City’s SEM;COLON presented its short film at the Sidewalk Film Festival on Aug. 27. Cailyn Hill, who plays the main character of the short film, and the vice-president of SEM;COLON, said it was incredible to see her film on a national stage.

“It was so cool even though I had seen it a bunch of times and had the premiere before we took it to sidewalk,” said Hill.

She said she was so nervous for people she didn’t know to see her film for the first time.

“I think they really liked it,” she said.

The hardest part of making the film, for her, was getting into the mindset of the main character, Evelyn, because she’s been in similar situations, but it was hard to separate herself from her and be her.

“SEM;COLON”, a 16-minute short produced and filmed this summer by CEPA’s Spotlight Studio, was played during the Teen Shorts Block at the Sidewalk Cinema in the Pizitz building in downtown Birmingham.

SEM;COLON started as a short film for the Pell City High School Film Club and was later converted by Anna Claire Hathorn and Emma Gibson to a podcast script. The audio version, directed by Hathorn and produced by CEPA as part of The Black Box by Spotlight Studio, is available on all platforms.

Hathorn and Gibson adapted the film script in spring of 2022. Hathorn directed the film, which was recorded in April using a student crew. Filming and post-production were managed by Spotlight Studio Coordinator Nicholas Fason throughout the summer.

The podcast and film are part of a greater effort by SEM;COLON to raise awareness for mental health among students at Pell City High School.

CEPA is supported through partnerships with Pell City Schools and the City of Pell City. Spotlight is supported annually by St. Clair County Schools, the Alabama State Council on the Arts. Local program sponsors include Hargray Communications, Trussell Funderburg Rea Bell and Furgerson and Goodgame Co.

This year, CEPA also received additional funding to support the growth of Spotlight Studio through a State Council on the Arts Recovery Grant and from a South Arts Sustainability Grant. South Arts is an Atlanta-based nonprofit regional arts organization empowering artists, organizations, and communities, and increasing access to arts and culture.