BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
OLD TAPPAN, N.J.—Of eight films produced for the 14th annual student film festival at Northern Valley Regional High School-Old Tappan on April 9, three ended up being banned from the festival and one filmmaker is wondering just what she did wrong—and why administrators banned her film at the last minute.
Apparently, the three films did not pass school authorities’ muster that they be for a general audience and not address suicide—which is what senior filmmaker Kiera Benson said she was told were disqualifying conditions.
However, she said she was told nothing about her film not being able to refer to deaths, one of several negatives raised by school officials.
Several efforts to get Northern Valley Regional High School District officials to state what written policies were violated by Benson’s 17-minute film or elaborate on their decision to ban the film were only partially successful.
A particular sore point was cutting the film at the last-minute with no recourse, said Benson’s mother, Kim, who emailed officials for further explanation.
“I looked into this matter. The film was previewed and our staff has provided guidance for these projects. The preview is what led to the district’s decision,” emailed Schools Superintendent James Santana April 11.
“We are within our rights to select films that are appropriate and that do not interfere with the rights of others or have the potential to cause emotional and mental harm to others at this public school-sponsored event,” he added.
‘The Ghost In My Bedroom’
Kiera Benson, a 17-year-old senior from Northvale, was informed April 8 by high school administrators that her film—“The Ghost In My Bedroom”—would not be shown at the next day’s student film festival “because of the fact that there are two deaths in it, even though they are both off-screen deaths,” Benson told Northern Valley Press on April 10.
Benson worked for six months on the film, what she describes as a horror-romance, in John Housley’s film class, and said that she had been thinking about showing a film at the festival since she was a freshman.
‘Waiting for this moment’
“I have been waiting for this moment for six months now. Actually, more like four years. Since my freshman year, I knew that I was going to take films class my senior year. For the past six months, I have put my heart and soul into this horror romance film that I call my own. I made the script, I edited the film, I acted in the film, I chose my actors, I did the cinematography, I did everything I possibly could. I tried to make it perfect,” Benson said.
She said many people, including film teacher Housley, had previewed the film over months before she and her mom, Kimberly, were called the night before the festival and told the film could not be shown.
“Finally, the night before the film festival, my mother received a phone call from my school. It was a conference call with the principal and the vice principals of the school. They told my mom that my film was not allowed to be shown,” said Benson.
Ghost’s ‘psychological issues’
“My mom replied with, ‘Do deaths not happen in real life?’ and everyone stayed silent. No one had anything to say to my mom. Their next point was the fact that the main character gets killed by a car and comes back to life as a ghost with psychological issues. My mom tried everything she could to defend my point and how great my movie is, but the school had nothing to say,” said the high school senior.
Benson said the three administrators who told her mom why her film would not be shown called her to the office the next day to again repeat the reasons it would not be shown. She said she tried to rebut their decision, pointing out a long list of reasons why they should change their minds.
She said she told them how supportive film teacher Housley had been of her film, all the hours invested in it, how a film last year showed a knife killing on screen, how the school play this year had more deaths than her film, how another student’s video in English class showed blood and a knife, and how so many people who worked with her on the film will be disappointed if it is not shown.
‘Getting nowhere’
“I ended up getting nowhere with the school. They told me a trailer was an option, which I had handy for them. They watched half of it then shut my laptop and told me it’s not school appropriate. They told me that this was finished and there is nothing I can do,” said Benson to Northern Valley Press.
“So, before I left the office, I made them aware of how disappointed I was and how ridiculous this is. Now the film festival went on without my hard work. I am extremely upset and do not understand the school’s views on the matter. I even suggested trying to do a warning before they show my film and the other students that got banned as well; they said it’s not allowed,” emailed Benson.
Superintendent to ‘look into’ questions
Superintendent Santana was asked by Northern Valley Press via email what district policy was violated by Benson’s film and what specifically caused the district to ban the film.
In addition, Santana was asked whether the decision to ban her film may be revisited in the future.
“We will look into your questions. I doubt I will be able to give you a response in time for your deadline,” emailed Santana on April 10, which was deadline day for this edition.
However, Benson’s film teacher, Housley, took pains to respond to Kiera and her mom’s upset and anger with school authorities’ decision to ban her film.
Responding to her mom’s email, Housley complimented Kiera Benson’s work ethic and elaborated on the decision to not show the film.
He said school officials reviewed all the films only at the end of April’s first week due to students’ late completion of final drafts.
‘Upsetting audience members’
“The school’s decision to not show her film is because she has produced something so challenging and so emotional[ly] authentic that we have decided it has the very real potential of upsetting audience members. Our audience is a general audience. The age range of the audience is usually children to grandparents. The violence and psychological torment of her movie is very effective, very real, and therefore very unnerving,” emailed Housley.
“If we were a college audience, there would be no concerns. The decision, though disappointing to her, is in its way a compliment to the success of her film. Hers was not the only film that will not be screened. We try to be attentive to the content and representations of all of our students’ work. As our world has grown more complex, we have grown more vigilant,” emailed Housley
‘The world we live in’
“The school’s primary concern is our students’ safety. It is the world we live in. I am raising three children of my own and I am aware daily that my sons’ world is more challenging than I remember mine being,” Housley added.
Housley said Benson and all film students “have been told since the first week of school and many, many times since, that as we are a public high school screening movies for a general audience, this might happen,” he emailed.
His email response praised Benson as “an incredible student and young woman and her work in the course is exemplary. This decision does not in any way reflect on that,” he wrote.
However, Kiera’s mom, Kim, said the last-minute notice rejecting her daughter’s film was par for the course at NVOT.
“I have been extremely disappointed in this high school over and over again and this is my last straw. I’m not going to stand by and let her be disappointed again. Maybe there should just be no more film festival because everyone is offended by something. Just like there’s no more prom king or queen because someone’s feelings may be hurt,” wrote Kim Benson to NVOT Principal Bruce Sabatini, who did not respond.
Benson’s film can be previewed on YouTube at the link: bit.ly/theghostinmybedroom. Her YouTube channel is froggirl345.
Board of Education President Joseph Argenziano did not respond to an email for comment and Sabatini deferred his response to Santana.
Photo courtesy Kim Benson