Joshua Spires’ (’11) cinematography for a short feature assigned in a film class last spring has taken him from Caddo Lake — where the feature was shot — to France, where he will attend an international film festival.

Watch the trailer for Spires' film.

Students in the Advanced Film class taught by Eugene Martin, assistant professor of radio, television and film, made The Whale, which tells the story of an abused 10-year-old boy who fantasizes about living on the other side of the lake from his house. Spires, along with writer and director Jaime Chapin (’11) and other classmates, successfully raised money to shoot on location.

For his work on the film, Spires won the 2011 U.S. National Kodak Film School Cinematography Competition in the S8/S16 National Competition category, then went on to advance and win the Americas regional competition. The prize includes a trip to the 2012 Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France. Spires currently works as a video production associate at Houston’s First Baptist Church and as a freelance cinematographer.