Alberto Guzman photoA poster showing the flags of many nations created by Arlington High School ninth-grader Marley Jurgensmeyer has been chosen to represent the second annual Arlington International Film Festival (AIFF), set for the Regent in October. The student wins $500.

In a news conference at Town Hall on Thursday, Feb. 2, attended by about 35 people, five finalists were also named out of 41 who submitted entries from Arlington High and Arlington Catholic High School, in a competition for the second consecutive year to create the official festival poster. In addition to Jurgensmeyer, they were:

Dylan Desjardins, Sarah Griesmer, Adam Hill and Ziza Soares, all of AHS, and Richan Li of ACHS.

Kristen Lauerman, manager and assistant programmer of film and video at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, announced the names of the six top entries.

Jurgensmeyer knew she wanted to incorporate an international flair to her piece and did so through the use of flags from different countries.

She said she became intrigued by the competition after hearing about it from her father, who saw a call for entries in The Arlington Advocate.

She said she’s better at computer art than drawing and leaned on her Photoshop skills to create the final product. She said she was surprised to be named the winner and thinks producing another poster would be fun.

Judges of the contest were Adria Arch, Kenneth "Kencaid" Headley, Marc Gurton and Marcea Taylor.

Music was provided by Arlington High School Jazz Band, led by Sabato D'Agostino, instrumental director.

Participants in the contest were, in alphabetical order:

Hoida Abu-Kaf (AHS, 11th)

Olivia Ambo, (AHS-11th)

Bushra Ayaz (AHS, 11th)

Olivia Bird (AHS, 9th)

Nathalie Calderon (AHS)

Christina Carroll (AHS, 11th)

Elena Coley (AHS, 10th)

Norah Connolly (AHS)

Gaurav Dangol (AHS)

Dylan Desjardins (AHS)

Rachel Dillon (AHS, 11th)

Jeff Echamalian (AHS, 10th)

Mimi Ellentuck (AHS, 11th)

Lydia Genard (ACHS, 10th)

Domenic Gentile (AHS, 11th)

Lena Gigure (AHS, 10th)

Sarah Griesmer (AHS, 10th)

Audrey Griffith (AHS)

Anna Gunst (AHS, 10th)

Jack Halling (AHS)

Adam Hill (AHS, 11th)

Jasper Hamilton (AHS, 11th)

Sam Jacey (AHS, 10th)

Marley Jurgensmeyer (AHS, 9th)

Matthew Kapilian (AHS, 11th)

Elena LaCourt (AHS, 11th)

Richan Li (ACHS, 11th)

Tianna Lui (AHS, 10th)

Margaret McCarthy (AHS)

Kayla McDonald (AHS, 11th)

Amanda Marino (AHS)

Sarah Murphy (ACHS, 12th)

Allyssa Murray (AH5, 11th)

Ashley Pitts (AHS, 12th)

Emily Shvarts (AHS)

Molly Smith (ACHS, 12th)

Ziza Soares (AHS, 9th)

Fareesa Fatima Syeda (AH5, 11th)

Marisa Towne (ACHS, 12th)

Cady Trvalik (AHS, 11th)

Taylor Vo (ACHS, 11th)

AHS Jazz Band at State House / Cheryl Christo photo

Providing refreshments for the event -- and reflecting its international flavor -- were:

Arlington House of Pizza, Classic Cafe, Francesca’s Kitchen, Ixtapa Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, Jam 'n Java, Johnnie's Foodmaster, Lakota Bakery, La Posada Restaurant, Not Your Average Joe’s, Panera Bread Bakery, Punjab Restaurant, Sabiz, Tango Restaurant and Quebrada Baking Co.

The Arlington International Film Festival was established by Arlington residents Alberto Guzman and April Ranck in 2010. Guzman and Ranck see film as a vehicle for cultural exploration and as way to support artists -- both local and international.

Last year’s inaugural event featured 16 films over the course of four days. This year’s event will be held Oct. 17-21.

For more information about AIFF, call 857-209-1122, visit aiffest.org or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Oct. 9, 2011: First international film festival held at Regent

 This story was first published Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, and updated the next day.