Mesa Verde alum wins ‘Rising Star’ award at Sac film festival

By Sara Beth Williams–
Mesa Verde High School alumnus Chris Laird recently received the Rising Star Award at the SacTown Movie Buffs Film Festival on April 5 in downtown Sacramento for his role in the short film “The Ghost Hunt.” Laird was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the film festival.

Laird starred in the short film which debuted in October 2022, alongside five co-stars, according to the film’s IMDB page.

Laird said receiving the Rising Star Award was “awesome” and that it was a surprise, as the judges had kept some of the awards hidden on purpose.

At the festival, “The Ghost Hunt” was nominated for five awards and received an award for Best Comedy. The short film has aired at multiple festivals locally and abroad, and recently received the Gold Award for Comedy from the Paris Film Awards, according to the group’s Facebook page.

“The Ghost Hunt” features two buddies, one played by Laird, who start up a Youtube Channel where they hunt for ghosts. Laird labeled it a comedy with suspense.

“It was a really fun project, it’s one of my favorites,” Laird said.

In 2022, Laird was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the same film, which also won the 2022 Producer’s Choice Award during the “A Place Called Sacramento” put on by Access Sacramento.

Related: Meet this Mesa Verde High School alumni who’s now an actor – Citrus Heights Sentinel

Laird grew up in Citrus Heights from the age of 9, and attended elementary, middle, and high school, in the city. During high school, Laird was involved with football, baseball, and theater. After graduation, Laird’s involvement in Mesa Verde’s Alumni Theater group over several years spurred him on to pursue film acting, specifically comedic acting. Laird has participated in multiple alumni theater events over the years, including “improv showdowns” and Mesa Verde’s Ghost Tour that took place in 2022.

Related: ‘Ghost Tour’ taking place at Mesa Verde HS just in time for Halloween – Citrus Heights Sentinel

Currently, Laird said he is participating in pre-production of a new TV series called “You Had a Bad Day” produced by Renee Sava and Miranda Forcier. Laird says he has participated in one table read so far and expects another one to occur soon. The series will be filmed in Sacramento.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Laird said, calling this a “big project” and adding that he’s excited for the potential of the project.

Laird’s IMDB page credits him with 13 film appearances in multiple short films and one additional production assistant credit, beginning in 2018. The credits do not include his role in Season 3 of the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why.”