Fairhaven High Student Wins National Award for Film

Adam Marashio has an undeniable talent for filmmaking.

The Fairhaven High School senior drew on the knowledge he gained from his school's Media Arts program to create a remarkable, award-winning film that earned national recognition.

Adam titled the movie What Next?. The film explores his internal struggles with whether he has what it takes to sustain a career as a filmmaker and whether he can maintain the raw passion that first inspired him to pursue this path.

The movie is a brutally honest depiction of Adam's feelings as a graduating senior, capturing the anxiety of navigating the uncertain chapters ahead. “It brings up the question of whether or not filmmaking is going to be what I do in the future, the level of uncertainty that comes with such a path, and the constant conflict of feeling accomplished yet never feeling like you're doing enough," he explained.

“It’s my response to feeling creatively unmotivated and watching my passion for filmmaking slip away. I realized the only way to overcome feelings of self-doubt was to confront them head-on—by making something that forced me to be honest with myself about why I’m pursuing this and setting the standard for what I’m capable of in all my creative projects moving forward.”

Competing against some of the most talented student filmmakers in the country, Adam's movie stood out, earning the prestigious National Student Production Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He was also nominated in the category of Best Writing.