Ballard High School Video Production students are winners yet again at the Fresh Film Northwest Festival for the ninth straight year. The competitive regional festival is coordinated by the Northwest Film Center in Portland, Oregon and accepts entries from filmmakers ages 13 to 19 in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.
Three BHS student-made films were celebrated by Fresh Film Northwest jury of filmmakers. “Stop Pretending”, a music video by Marlene Anderson, Khasbold Bataa, Gabe Fabens, Zach Green and Lorenzo Rossi, won the Creative Self-Expression Award for “outstanding achievement in cinematic storytelling.” The video features Rossi’s band, Yellow Peril, performing an original song that explores relationships that are held together by social expectations.
Film “The Eye of the Beholder”, by Walker Evans, Isaiah Hoban-Halvorsen & Brian VanWagenen, took home the Heart Award for “authenticity, originality, and humane treatment of a subject.” The film takes a subjective look at the negative impact of fashion marketing.
Music video “Song for Anna”, produced by Isaiah Hoban-Halvorsen, Lucy Harstrick, Josh Vredevoogd and Kiana Wyld, was also awarded an Honorable Mention. The music video captures a story about romance and loss.
Only 14 works were selected out of 117 entries by a jury of filmmakers and educators to be screened at the festival. “The festival seeks to celebrate originality, freshness, authenticity and conviction in the voices of young filmmakers,” write BHS Video Production teacher Matt Lawrence.
The award ceremony and film screening will be held at Portland Art Museum’s Whitsell Auditorium (1219 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR) on Saturday, November 16 at 1 p.m. All local film enthusiasts and BHS Video Production supporters are encouraged to attend.
Locals will have the opportunity to see the winners and other new work by BHS Filmmakers next year at the end-of-the-semester Showing. The event will be held on Friday, February, 8 or Thursday, February 13 at 7 p.m. in the BHS auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. All proceeds will go towards supporting the BHS Video Production Program.
