Three productions by students in the BHS Video Production Program are among the winners of the 32nd Annual Young People’s Film & Video Festival. The winners are the short drama “4th Floor” (by Coburn Erskine, Sami Kubo & Nolan O’Connor), and the documentaries “Domestic Disturbance” (by Justin Amorratanasuchad, Colin Colebrook & Lilah Horwitz) and “Ladies in Armor” (by Diana Federighi, Sami Kubo & Audra McCafferty).
This competitive festival accepts entries from students in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Alaska. It is coordinated by the Northwest Film Center in Portland, Oregon. Submissions were judged for their storytelling, originality, artistic merit, technical achievement, and investigation of subject matter by a jury of educators and film professionals. Only 15 productions were chosen for the festival from over 100 entries. Ballard topped the list of winning high schools, with 3 awarded productions.
All of the winning productions have also earned honors at other festivals. “4th Floor” won an Award of Excellence in Dramatic Narrative at the Northwest High School Film Festival, and an Honorable Mention in the Seattle International Film Festival’s FutureWave program for young filmmakers. “Ladies in Armor” won 2nd Prize at the national Derek Freese High School Film Festival in Philadelphia, and “Domestic Disturbance” was a Finalist at that same festival.
The Festival Winners’ Program will be screened on Friday, September 14 at 1 p.m. at the Whitsell Auditorium of the Portland Art Museum (1219 SW Park, Portland, Oregon). The event is free, and the public is welcome to attend. The program will run approximately 2 hours. For more information, visit http://www.nwfilm.org/festivals/young_fest.php.
