Winning my first award
Last year, I had my senior film final to make a "Wow project" Where I made my then magnum opus Forget Me Not. My film teacher definitely viewed it as pretentious and expressed concerns of being able to finish it within a month. But he made sure to make it clear he wasn't stopping me.
This film was my biggest passion project, taking components from my favourite game, Life Is Strange, to make something familiar and original. I made sure that the symbolism was on point, cinematography was meaningful, and foreshadowing was eye catching especially on rewatches (keep in mind at a high school level).
Due to the timing of when the film was made, I was only now able to submit it to the student film festival. Being there, the competition looked scary. We came from a school of underdogs, and the previews showed crisp audio, beautiful cinematography, and perfect acting.
But to my surprise, we still won Top Narrative Drama. Even if our audio, cinematography, or acting wasn't up to par. That made me realize, it must leave everything else, which I'm proud to have strength in. It was the foreshadowing, strong symbolism, the strength of the storytelling. I know where I can improve for the future, I am just happy to know that I made something meaningful :)
(Though it may be obvious, not looking for critiques!! All the issues I can spot *now* but hey I was proud then)
TL;DR: Happy to see I made something meaningful enough to win an award, despite the competitions productions appearing much better.