CCA Cinema students shine in All-American High School Film Festival

Canyon Crest Academy’s Cinema Conservatory students again earned national recognition at the All-American High School Film Festival in New York City, as recent graduate Patrick Jang won Best Comedy Film award for his short “Why Can’t We Just Be Ghosts?”

This year CCA student creators had 18 film selections screened in AMC Empire 25 theaters in Times Square and earned nominations in four categories, including Daisy Chen for the Maverick Award and Emma Lamoureux, Brooklin Lee Kwai and Maya Grover for the Spark Award. “Why Can’t We Be Ghosts” was also up for Best Overall Film. At the festival’s 2025 Teen Indie Awards on Oct. 19, Jang won the “Tindie” trophy as well as prizes of editing and screenwriting software and filmmaking equipment.

“The Cinema Conservatory gave me invaluable connections with friends with whom I collaborated on my projects, many of which were essential to the success of my film,” said Jang, now a freshman at Stanford University, in a news release. “Winning this recognition means a lot, but what means even more is knowing I’m supported by talented peers and dedicated mentors.”

In the dark comedy, the main character of a ghost is silent, his words only appearing in subtitles. His best friend helps lift him out of his fog of emptiness and angst with local canyons, beaches and familiar streets serving as the backdrop.

Jang wrote and directed the strikingly shot film, which features CCA actors Daniil Domanin, Alexander Ikizyan, Maya Grover, Gabriel Hanna and Minjun Choi. In addition to winning a Tindie, this year the film won the high school competition at LA Shorts International Film Festival and the high school audience choice award at the Heartland Film Festival.

It is also an official selection in the upcoming San Diego Asian Film Festival with a screening on Friday, Nov. 7 at 4 p.m. at the UltraStar Cinemas Mission Valley.

“We are inspired by what the students are making during their time in our program and excited to see how they utilize their new skills and these experiences as they continue on in their creative careers,” said CCA’s Cinema Coordinator Andrew Norbeck in a news release.