Cosumnes River College was home to local filmmakers night, a showcase of five short films from Sacramento based filmmakers on April 11.

The event was planned by RTVF instructional assistant Courtney Ramirez to debut the film “Apex,” which she was lead editor and executive producer for.

The event was later expanded as a way to show more of the local Sacramento film scene.

Films that were shown spanned the genres of horror, drama and comedy.

“Apex” tells the story of a mother and daughter who share a reckless love of drag car racing, and how the mother attempts to mend a damaged relationship with her daughter while leading her away from her own mistakes.

The story is primarily set in a diner with the majority of dialogue and video occurring in a single booth seat.

“Apex” was directed by Alejandro J. Gutierrez, a 27-year-old Sacramento State film graduate, as his first post-college piece.

Guiterrez said he created the idea back in 2015 while he was studying as a veterinary student. He started writing the plot in 2023 and finished rewrites in early 2024.

The film started production in February 2024 and finished edits in May, with an audio issue delaying the premiere until April 11.

“I hope people get a message and walk away with something, as is the goal with all my films,” Gutierrez said. “Whatever the message is for them. That’s why art is open for interpretation.”

The movie was produced by Gutierrez’s production company, Red Shoes Productions. Red Shoes also assisted in marketing of the other films, “My Best Friend, The Monster,” “The Perfect Murder,” “This is not a date” and “Avery Has Skeletons.”

The event was free entry and drew a crowd of about 50 people.

“It was a fun night,” said 49-year-old plummer Jaric Richards.

Ramirez said the night was not only a showcase for local films, but she hoped it would inspire everyone in attendance to be creative.

“We hope to inspire others to create,” Ramirez said.