Calling All Youth Filmmakers for the 2019 Freedom & Unity Youth Film Contest!
March 03, 2019
Two TA Students Finished 1st in Last Year’s Contest
The Freedom & Unity Youth Film Contest has opened and is excited to receive submissions from youth filmmakers in Vermont. Inspired by the Vermont Movie Project, The Freedom & Unity Youth Film Contest invites young Vermonters to create films exploring the life and culture of the Green Mountain State. Through film, young people explore the issues that they find meaningful, make connections between the past and the present, and share their personal stories. They build filmmaking and communication skills while learning more about themselves and the state they call home.
Last year’s 1stplace winners were comprised of youth from throughout the state of Vermont and parts of bordering New Hampshire:
“Ingredients” by Dominique Cornacchia & McKenzie Cordell of Champlain College, Burlington, VT
“Freefall” by Riley Allen of Essex High School, Essex, VT
“Voices of Tibet” by Jeffrey Lloyd of Champlain College, Burlington, VT
“Wagging Tale” by Scarlett Clark of Champlain College, Burlington, VT
“In Search of [Upper Valley] Driving Heaven” by Eli Kaliski of Thetford Academy, Thetford, VT
“ALL IN ORDER” by Nicholas Fish & Dan Denton of Strafford Technical Center, Rutland, VT
“Inside My Heart There Is A Lemon” by Leah Kaliski of Thetford Academy, Thetford, VT
“Dan & Whit’s: If We Don’t Have It, You Don’t Need It” by Soren Stettenheim & Finn Duncan of Frances C Richmond Middle School, Hanover, NH
“The Line” by Lena Ashooh of Shelburne Community School, Shelburne, VT
When entering the Freedom & Unity Youth Film Contest, filmmakers will enter in one of three age groups: 10-14, 15-18, and 19-30. All films must include a Vermont focus and address one of the three contest categories: Vermont Arts and Culture, Personal Stories, and Vermont History & Contemporary Issues. Films can be submitted by individuals or by groups. The contest is open to all Dresden and Rivendell School district students whether they live in Vermont or New Hampshire.
Freedom & Unity recognizes feedback to be a vital part of any creative process. This year, there is an early deadline, March 22, 2019, for filmmakers who wish to receive work-in-progress feedback from selected mentors. After receiving feedback (by March 29, 2019), filmmakers will have time to edit any changes they choose to make before the final submission deadline on May 1, 2019. The screening and awards ceremony will take place during the annual WRIF Film Festival, May 31-June 2, 2019 in White River Junction, Vermont. WRIF became the parent organization for the Freedom & Unity Contest in 2018 and is a proud supporter of youth filmmaking in the state of Vermont.
To find out more on how to submit a film, to check out past submissions and to see how to support the Freedom & Unity Youth Film Contest visit: www.freedomandunitytv.org.
—Christine Porcaro, Executive Director, White River Indie Films,[email protected]