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Sixteen and killin' it ...

Young screenwriter debuts her first film to Tacoma arts community

Syierra Elise Smiley, a young screenwriter in Tacoma, debuted her first film, Sixteen, at the Tacoma Art Museum earlier this month. The film was part of her senior capstone project at Tacoma’s School of the Arts. Photo courtesy of Jean Smiley

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For some, the appeal of participating in the arts is the ability to breathe life into imaginary worlds -- to take an idea and shape it into artwork you can see, touch, hear or feel. For Syierra Elise Smiley, a screenwriter and high school senior at Tacoma's School of the Arts (SOTA), the arts are all about embracing creative freedom.

"You can do anything you want when you're telling a story in film -- you can make anything up -- it's amazing," Syierra said. "It's something my heart loves."

Despite her tender age of 16 years, Syierra made her debut as a screenwriter and filmmaker earlier this month with the screening of her first film, Sixteen, at the Tacoma Art Museum (TAM). The film gives audiences a creative look at Syierra's life and her experiences as a young woman in the arts. It was shown as part of TAM's Women's Independent Film Screening event April 13.

"It turned out really well, and I'm glad I did it," she said. "It's a huge part of me. It's one of the first films I finished by myself ... Film is such a male-dominated industry, and whether you're at school or in the real world, it's hard to overcome that."

Sixteen was also Smiley's capstone project at SOTA, from which she'll graduate from high school later this year. For those of you wondering how the 16-year-old will graduate so much earlier than her classmates, the answer lies partly in her family's connection to the military and partly in her work ethic.

"She's always been a hard worker and very focused in school," said her mother, Jean Smiley. "We're very proud of her. I think being a military family has helped her, too. It opened her eyes to a lot more."

Syierra's family is connected to the military via her father, Army Sgt. 1st Class Steven Smiley, a culinary specialist at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

"He's one of my biggest influences," Syierra said. "He tells me to do what I love and he's very, very supportive. I couldn't appreciate that more."

After receiving news of Sgt. 1st Class Smiley's permanent change of duty station to Germany, the Smiley family began preparing for the big move, which they anticipate will happen this fall.

"When we got the news that we're moving to Germany, I was really excited," said Syierra, who primarily grew up in the Tacoma area.  "I've always wanted to move to Europe ... I'm really excited to see how it plays out."

Soon after confirming the news, Syierra and her family decided the best option would be for her to graduate from high school early and accompany the family to Europe as a college student. So, for the 2017-2018 school year, Syierra doubled-down on her course load and skipped 11th grade.

"Having to push myself forward and jump into 12th grade was definitely stressful," she said. "There was a lot more work, and I struggled to complete senior projects and meet graduation requirements ... I've been cramming two years into one and it's stressful. But I think I've gotten the hang of things."

Syierra was enrolled in the Running Start program, which allows students in Tacoma schools to attend college courses at Washington community or technical colleges, so her family was confident she could handle the workload.

"I'm so proud of her," said Jean. "She's always been unique, and we've always pushed her to do her own thing -- to do her very best. She's graduating early and going to art school, and I couldn't be more proud as a mother."

In case all that wasn't impressive enough, Syierra still managed to participate in monthly artistic showcases at SOTA throughout the school year. She continued to expand her skillset in photography (her first passion as an artist), filmmaking and screenwriting as well.

"I think I found my calling in screenplay writing," Syierra said. "It's what I love the best in film ... I'm planning to stay in Europe, and if I can, attend the (Met) Film School in Berlin ... But what I'm most excited about is continuing down this pathway and staying true to myself."

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