In 1927, students in the Peabody Demonstration School’s Cinema Club created what is thought to be Nashville’s very first narrative film. Now, almost a century later, USN students have continued the school’s filmmaking tradition, releasing unique and exciting films. By producing their own films and using various film elements, students have demonstrated their creativity and artistic talents.
Marina Cintado-Scokin
Inspired by one of Pink Floyd’s songs from the 1979 album The Wall, Marina Cintado-Scokin ‘26 and Tully Maxwell, a student at Templeton Academy, co-directed and wrote the horror film Young Lust, which premiered on October 31. Filmed at various locations around Nashville, including USN, Maxwell, and Cintado-Scokin, the short film follows Andrea and Lip as they navigate the “horrors” of high school. The original script took around three weeks to write, and the film’s actors, technicians, and editors are friends of the directors.
“Me and my two friends went to see Weapons. I didn’t really like that movie, but then I realized I wanted to make a movie about horror. So I talked to my friend who had past experience [with movie-making], and we were like ‘let’s co-direct it’,” said Cintado-Scokin.
Cintado-Scokin began watching movies at a very young age, one of her favorites being Bryan Singer’s 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody. However, during the pandemic, she realized she had a passion for film while watching movies at home with her father. This became a bonding experience for them, and soon she felt the desire to begin making movies of her own. After the time and energy she spent directing and promoting her first film, Young Lust, it was a hit, reaching almost 100,000 views on YouTube.”
“I like it for being my first movie, but I definitely want to revisit it when I’m older to have everything I wanted in it. We had so little time that things had to get cut, and there were scheduling issues. However, I’m happy with the final product, but I’m excited to hopefully go back one day and add everything that we thought of,” Cintado-Scokin said.
Looking ahead, she already has an idea of what movie she wants to make next. Centered on the card game poker, her next film will feature suspense, thrilling scenes, and comedy, and she has already begun recruiting actors and others to help her piece the film together.
“I’m really into mob movies as of late…I haven’t really worked out the details, like whether one kid or a group of kids is the main character. To be decided!” Cintado-Scokin said.
Breckyn Forcey
After initially taking a film class during middle school, Breckyn Forcey ‘26 has been producing films ever since. Her first film, Treasure Hunt, was a suspenseful, comedic adventure that followed viewers on a hunt for an SD card that would unlock a computer.
Since August, Forcey has been working on a new film. Released on December 5, her movie, titled Last Day, was inspired by The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The film follows the story of a senior’s after-hours adventures on his very last day of school. Filmed at USN in September and early October, the movie has been in development for five months. Forcey wore a wide range of creative hats, acting as a one-man crew: she wrote, cast, directed, and edited the film. Earlier this semester, Forcey also released a documentary on a student walk-out to protest gun violence.
Although Nashville itself has a large high school film culture, students such as Forcey and Cintado-Scokin have many ideas for how USN can incorporate and create more film-making opportunities for those who want to participate outside of class.
“I think having a space for people to connect with other filmmakers, but also having a space for filmmakers to show off their films. Like maybe having a film festival or a film night [at USN],” Forcey said in regards to how USN can encourage a larger filmmaking presence within the student body. Although USN offers various elective classes, such as Film Making and Film Studies, some students have taken their interests outside the classroom. Spaces such as Film Kitchen and the Belcourt Theatre’s Strong Leads encourage and bring students together to discuss and enjoy film.
The independent study program is usually the destination for students looking to explore their interest in filmmaking. Oftentimes, filmmaking teacher Steve Smail serves as the advisor on independent study films in addition to teaching his own filmmaking elective course. Both Forcey and Cintado-Scokin received free access to USN’s campus as a location for their projects, and Forcey received access to the school’s equipment as well.
“Students will have taken my class or maybe have done something outside of school like a summer film camp or an experience which motivates them to tell a story. [As an independent study sponsor] I advise a little bit, but my strategy with students doing independent studies is to mostly get out of the way such that their ideas can really take shape on their own,” Smail said.
USN students are excited by the growing wave of student filmmaking. Caroline Stinner ‘27 was in attendance for the premiere of Cintado-Scokin’s Young Lust and noted the remarkable enthusiasm that filled the room.
“I think people were really impressed…I don’t think anyone really knew what to expect…It felt just like a random short film that they made, but it was awesome, and it was really impressive how they pulled it together,” Stinner said.
Along with the general excitement for the movie itself, Stinner’s familiarity with many of the cast and crew was also a highlight.
“It was really cool seeing people I knew in it, and they did really well,” Stinner said.
Viewers can find Young Lust on YouTube (viewer discretion is advised), and Last Day will be released for public viewing soon.
Smail says that Forcey and Cintado-Scokin aren’t alone in their pursuits. Mila Kinney ’26 and Alaina Bryce Jones ’27 also have explored filmmaking through their own independent projects.
As the student film-making scene grows in Nashville, its presence in the USN community will continue as well. Students like Forcey and Cintado-Scokin are well on their way to bringing back student movies as a force in the USN community.
