For nearly a century and a half, The Kezar Falls Theater has sat on the corner of Main Street where Porter and Parsonsfield meet. The old theater had been closed for about 40 years when Silas Hagerty, who grew up in Kezar Falls, bought the theater with the idea of creating a film school. That was 10 years ago.

Now, he runs the Smooth Feather Film School, an intensive week-long program that teaches the art of filmmaking to high school students.  He calls in his filmmaking friends — artists, photographers, writers — to help him make his dream of a film school a reality. The week gets underway with plenty of energy — and possibility.  

“They’re just completely thrown in, whether you’re a producer, whether you’re a sound person, camera person, it’s like all these different roles,” Silas said. “They have no experience, and we just throw them in. It’s amazing to see how they just rise to the occasion and they just start makin’ it. That’s what I love about this film school. This theater is more alive than any other time when the film school’s happening.”