Three Ballard High School video production students had their film “Unplugged” named an Official Selection by the 11th Annual Seoul International Youth Film Festival. It is one of only 36 films selected for the festival.
The film, the story of a teen whose connection to music deepens after the loss of his iPod, by Ballard High School students Kaelan Gilman and Del Brummet and Ballard graudate Diana Federighi, will be shown at the festival, one of the largest youth film festivals in Asia, which runs July 9 to July 15.
The short had not originally been entered in the festival, but the festival committee saw the film on the Images of Youth Video Festival Web site and then contacted Ballard High School to request that the short be submitted.
“Unplugged” won awards for Special Recognition for Overall Excellence in Media and Peer Achievement from the Images of Youth Video Festival in 2008.
The Seoul International Youth Film Festival features films made by 13 to 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.
Three other 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 and Ryan Zemke is a public service announcement for the Puget Sound Blood Center.
The short film “You Got Served,” by Emily Deering, Bryce Ellis and Jose Anguiano, deals with the fragile nature of friendship.
Another short film, “The Umbrella,” by Parker Davis, Kaelan Gilman and Henry Shenk, is the story of a withdrawn boy who uses his umbrella to shield himself from social interaction.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 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.
