Three Kootenay River Secondary School students have earned international recognition after their short film Same was accepted into a film festival in Manchester, U.K., in the Best Student Film category. 

Students Raina Grunewald (grade 10), Nicolas Copeland (grade 9), and Damian Wilkinson (grade 12) worked together under the guidance of KRSS teacher Ivan Gonzáles to create an experimental, dialogue-free film during the Week Without Walls filmmaking course held at the school in spring 2025. In only two days, students move rapidly from concept and scriptwriting through filming and post‑production using school equipment. 

Same, which features a custodian walking the empty halls of the school, was also screened at the 7th Siding Film Festival in Creston last November. 

Congratulations to all three students and their teacher for having a work selected and curated by a university in another country!