On April 8, 2026, the County Theater held the first night of the First Take Shorts Series in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The festival took place over three dates across April, with one held locally in Princeton’s Garden Theater. What relevance does this film festival have to South Brunswick? Our very own Viking Vibe Editor, Viren Abroal (’27), created a short film that was entered into and screened at the festival. Praise Seahorsia (2026) is a movie about a teenage conspiracy theorist (Reagan Hoffmann, ’27) who tries to summon God in her home when her crush (Nick Manganello, ’27) arrives at her front door.
Night One of the festival began at 7:30 PM in the County Theater, where seven shorts were screened, including Praise Seahorsia (2026). The event ran until 9:00 PM, including a Q&A portion with actors, writers, and filmmakers after the screenings, followed by the awards. Abroal won the category of Best Student Filmmaker (or the “Best in Series” award), an award specifically for high-school age students, at the first night in Doylestown. The two other categories, all age-based, were for college-age students—the Emerging Filmmaker Award—and for professional, independent filmmakers. The Emerging Filmmaker of the night was Joey Tangradi, the DeSales University student who created the short film A Conversation at the End of a Party (2025).
The series took place in Theater 1 of the County Theater, but overall, it was a normal day in terms of business, with the other screening rooms still showing films, including Project Hail Mary (2026) and The Drama (2026). The short films for First Take’s series were all screened back to back, until everyone who was part of any film in attendance was called up to the front to answer questions. The event was organized by Brendan Joyce, one of the County Theater’s directors of programming.
Abroal said, “The Q&A was super in-depth about the films, which I didn’t expect but was a pleasant surprise. I got to hear different perspectives of how different filmmakers make their films and got to answer questions about my own, which was a lot of fun.”
The actors, directors, and screenwriters also had a chance to network after the series was over, exchanging information and advice in the lobby.
Abroal said, “Most of my connections are older filmmakers, but it’s always great getting outside perspectives from other independent filmmakers.”
The award winners gave congratulations, including Justin O’Neill, who won the category of local and professional artists, leaving the festival with the title of Best Indie Filmmaker. He directed and wrote a documentary-like short film about a “daughter inherit[ing] a century-old chocolate shop, carrying the weight of a disappearing craft,” called The Wonka of Worcester.
Beyond winning the category, for Abroal, “the best part about the festival was seeing everyone I knew come out to support the film, as well as meeting new filmmakers who were super enthusiastic about my film. I was a little nervous leading up to the screening, but it was super rewarding to hear the audience laugh at the right moments.”
With Praise Seahorsia gaining recognition at the First Take Shorts Series, there’s no telling where this could take Viren in the future. Good storytelling can come from and be recognized anywhere, and First Take does a good job of giving opportunities to small artists who are just starting to find a place in the limelight.
