Junior marketing and management major Zachary Kappel will return for his second year as a filmmaker at the Lux Mea Film Festival.

Kappel’s film this year is about Stacey, an incoming freshman who gets the roommate Snuffles (a puppet) via the random roommate selector. He learns overtime to appreciate his strange roommate. According to Kappel, the main message of the film is not to look grossly on or despise your freshmen roommate, but instead be understanding toward them because ultimately, they have your back and are a person too.

The idea for this film came to him after attending the Lux Mea Film Festival in 2024. He was “…filled with the inspiration to somehow make my own movie after watching Caleb Vinoverski’s “The Return,” my friend and I were walking back to our dorms when someone walking by told him that he reminded her of a Muppet. And the rest is history,” said Kappel.

Kappel’s interest in performance led him to film.  “I’ve always had a passion for production and performance, especially within the realm of theatre. I had a social media internship where I learned the ins and outs of how to produce a video, and I eventually learned I had a passion for it in the same vein,” said Kappel.

Last year, he was one of the producers of “A Honk-umentary.” “A Honk-umentary” was a documentary about last year’s Children’s Theater production “Honk,” and the director’s and cast’s experience producing it and other children’s shows.

His main goal for this year’s film is “to get big laughs, and maybe to inspire somebody else in the audience to go make their own movie,” Kappel said.

On the night of the event, “…[I’m] excited to see all the other films, including the ones I helped with, and to enjoy a fun afterparty,” Kappel said.