Four productions by students in the BHS Video Production Program are among the winners of the 34th Annual Young People’s Film & Video Festival. The winners are the short dramas Reflection (by Sheridan Koehler & Blair Scott) and Signs (by Rikke Heinecke, Lizzy O’Laughlin & Tony Meyer) as well as the documentaries Bar Ink (by Robyn Cochrane, Spencer Miller, Georgia Peck & Justin Smith-Mercado) and Henry (by Amelia Elizalde, Levi Friedman, Sean Hendricks & Sheridan Koehler).
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. The Festival encourages young people to “use film and video to creatively express personal concerns, explore important social issues, and share engaging stories about the world as they see it.” Submissions were judged on the basis of age/grade, originality, artistic merit, technical achievement, and conviction in investigation of subject matter. A jury of professional media artists made the selections. Only 16 productions were chosen for the festival from over 150 entries.
The visual story Reflection explores the moral consequences of decisions. Signs charts the inner transformation of a homeless man as he prepares to leave the street. It's also a story without dialogue. The two winning documentaries have contrasting subject matter as well. Bar Ink tells the story of a former convict (imprisoned at an early age) that managed – despite the odds – to discover and develop his talent behind bars and embarked on a successful career once released. Henry is a face-off between the prolific Seattle muralist of that name and Seattle art critic Regina Hackett.
The Festival Winners’ Program will be screened on Sunday, November 7 at 1 p.m. at the Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium (1219 SW Park, Portland, Oregon). Following the screening, the Film Center will host a reception where the winners can mix with this year's festival jurors. The event is free, and the public is welcome to attend.
