Budding Saints Filmmaker Attends NYC Festival

Out of the 3,000-plus entries to the All-American High School Film Festival (AAHSFF) each year, only about 800—less than one-third—get chosen by the organization as an “Official Selection.” One of those in 2024 was The Wanderer, a short film submitted by Canterbury student Zekai “Aaron” Zhu ’26. His reward? An invitation to New York City for the world’s largest high school film festival.

Aaron created his movie to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Seven Samurai by legendary director Akira Kurosawa. “I started watching Kurosawa’s movies late in my freshman year, and they inspired me,” he explained. “He took a uniquely artistic approach to filmmaking, and many directors have copied his style over the years.”

Aaron’s creative process involved extensive script writing, auditioning and hiring actors while on break visiting his mother near Los Angeles, shooting hours of footage, and editing and post-production work done exclusively on a MacBook. 

The final product was outstanding, especially coming from a 16-year-old first-time filmmaker. The Wanderer, a 21-minute drama about a Samurai warrior seeking to avenge his father’s death, earned Aaron and his family a memorable weekend in New York City. The trip included a Hudson River dinner cruise on Friday night, a private screening of his film for family and friends in an AMC Empire theater in Times Square the next day, and a seat in Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre for Sunday’s grand finale, the 12th Annual All-American High School Film Festival. 

Even though his film was not named one of the finalists in the Drama category, the weekend was a winning experience for Aaron. “It was great seeing how a film festival is run firsthand,” he said. “On the cruise, I talked with many people from around the country—Washington, DC; California; West Virginia; and many other places. And it was awesome having my movie screened in an actual AMC theater!”

AAHSFF’s website describes the organization as “the premier destination for talented high school filmmakers and media arts enthusiasts from around the world” whose mission is to “provide immersive education with a profound impact, connecting filmmakers of the future with the rewards, respect, and recognition they deserve.” Aaron certainly deserved such recognition for his compelling film.

What is next for this young director? “I am working on possibly starting a film club at Canterbury,” Aaron shared. “I also plan to shoot another movie to submit with my college applications that I could use for film festivals as well.” So keep your eyes open—an Aaron Zhu film may be coming to a theater near you!