Northshore native Valerie Champagne is screening her short film “Mirror, Mirror” Saturday at 7 p.m. in Haik Park on North Columbia Street during the Ozone Film Festival. The film is about a young girl who discovers her father has a terminal illness. In her attempt to deal with this reality, she creates a fantasy world.

Aside from dealing with the terminal illness of a parent, the film also examines the relationship between the daughter and her mother. She also learns that one cannot always control what happens, no matter how hard you try.

The film has already won awards. In the Connecticut Film Festival, it won Best Student Film and the actress portraying the lead character has been nominated for the Rising Star Award at the Shockerfest in California, also screening this weekend. Champagne’s current film was produced totally by NYU students and was her senior project.

The 14-minute long production used working actors, and a professional composer wrote the music for the film, and it was shot on 16mm film.

A graduate of New York University with a 3.9 GPA and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film production with a minor in producing, the Mandeville High School alumnus said she is excited about showing her film at the Ozone Film Festival.

In 2002, at the first Ozone Film Festival, Champagne was awarded the Most Promising Filmmaker Award.

This is the first screening of the film in the South. Ozone Film Festival is showcasing many films by independent and small companies tonight and Saturday.

The festival will offer filmgoers the opportunity to see new feature length theatrical films, documentaries and short films such as this one.

“I’m very excited about the Ozone Film Festival choosing my film to screen,” Champagne said. “I thought I wanted to be an actress when I was growing up, then realized I preferred being behind the scenes.”

She went to NOCCA and Mandeville High her senior year before going to study at NYU.

She said she’s happy that so much is being done in the industry in Louisiana, but she said it is still hard to work here full time because many productions are just shot here, with production work and editing completed elsewhere.

Currently, Champagne is living in Brooklyn and working in Manhattan as an assistant producer to Alice Elliott, a documentary filmmaker who owns Welcome Change Productions.

Her advice to up and coming film students is to take advantage of the affordability of the film industry now. Even a movie made with a home video camera is helpful.

Champagne said many film fests are open to screening works by young people and students. There is even video editing software available for home computers.

She said she put everything into this film. While it is not a horror movie, it does depict a more mature theme mixed with fantasy. She would rate it PG-13.

The festival will show films beginning at 7 p.m. each night at Haik Park and the Covington Trailhead. Louisiana produced independent film “Dirty Politics” will also be shown on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Fuhrmann Auditorium at the Greater Covington Center on North Jefferson Avenue.

In addition, Brunner Gallery will offer workshops and panels discussions from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days at 215 N. Columbia St. Live art exhibits and music will add to the weekend’s festivities throughout downtown Covington.