BALLARD HIGH SCHOOL FILMMAKERS RECEIVE INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

Unplugged, a short film by Ballard High School video production students Diana Federighi (’08), Kaelan Gilman (’10) & Del Brummet (’10), was recently named an Official Selection by the 11th Annual Seoul International Youth Film Festival. SIYFF is one of the largest and most prestigious youth film festivals in Asia. The event spans the week of July 9 – 15 and includes an international youth filmmaking camp.

The festival features films made by 13 – 18 year olds as well as films about children and teenagers made by adults. This year, 821 films were submitted from 44 different countries. Only 36 films were selected for the festival through a highly competitive process. For more information, just click on the headline to visit the festival website.

Unplugged is the story of a teen whose connection to music deepens after the loss of his iPod. The short had not originally been entered in SIYFF, but the festival committee saw the film on the Images of Youth Video Festival website and then contacted Ballard High School to request that the short be submitted. Unplugged had won awards for Special Recognition for Overall Excellence in Media and Peer Achievement from the Images of Youth Video Festival in 2008. (It can still be screened on that website under “past festival winners” at http://www.imagesofyouthfilmfestival.org/.) Unplugged was also named an Official Selection of the National Film Festival for Talented Youth this year.

BHS VIDEO STUDENTS WIN FESTIVAL AWARDS

Three works by Ballard High School Video Production students were prize-winners at the Images of Youth 2009 Video Festival. Don’t Spill by Levi Friedman, Jacob Kutrakun & Ryan Zemke is a Public Service Announcement for the Puget Sound Blood Center. The short film You Got Served, by Emily Deering, Bryce Ellis & Jose Anguiano, deals with the fragile nature of friendship. Another short film, The Umbrella, by Parker Davis, Kaelan Gilman & Henry Shenk, is the story of a withdrawn boy who uses his umbrella to shield himself from social interaction.

Each short won two awards: Special Recognition for Overall Excellence in Media (selected by the IOY festival jurors), and a Peer Achievement Award (selected by a jury of youth). The Images of Youth Video Festival is a project of Action for Media Education, a Seattle-based non-profit organization. Just click on the headline to see all the winning videos online at the Images of Youth 2009 Film Festival website.