Local students will again spring into 'action' ahead of this year's Lambton Youth Short Film Competition, which is part of the annual Lambton Film and Food Festival (LaFFF).
The Optimist Club of Forest will hold training sessions at various schools during the second week of April.
Club President Ron Van Horne said it has been exciting to watch the program grow over the years as it will now include new training sites in Watford and Petrolia, as well as students from Kettle and Stony Point First Nation.
"We started the program eight years ago and when we did, we essentially had two schools that participated," he said.
Over the years, training has also expanded from one day to five days.
Van Horne said the students learn various elements of the filming process such as pitching an idea, writing scripts, acting, and filming. Brent Orr and his company will also assist during the training process.
The youth short film competition is not limited to students who take the course as many are encouraged to submit their own films outside of their class projects.
Anyone between the ages of 13 and 19 within the Lambton-Kent school system can submit a film in one of the various categories, which include comedy, drama, and Franco Fier.
"It's meant to be fun but it's also very practical for people who want to develop a career in film," said Van Horne.
He said in the past, participants have used their film submission as part of their application to get into a film program at a post-secondary institution and have even landed jobs in the industry.
Submissions must be sent by Friday, May 19. Application details can be found on the Kineto Theatre's website.
The Lambton Youth Short Film Competition had 25 entries last year.
Meanwhile, the LaFFF will be held from Thursday, May 25 until Sunday, May 28.