Ballard High School students’ films to be featured at international film festival

A number of students from the Ballard High School Video Production Program will be featured at an upcoming international film festival for short films they produced. Teacher Matt Lawrence says the students’ work will be screened at the sixth annual National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), a festival which showcases work by filmmakers who are 22 and younger. NFFTY was created by a Ballard High School graduate from 2004, Jesse Harris.

Six short films by the students were named Official Selections:

• “Cogs” by Brendan Inkley, Nadia Komen & Cybele Olsen
• “English Pocket Mirror”  by John Hall, Sydney Jarol & Dylan Miller
• “Lost & Found” by Brianna Kadem, Peter Lee & Bryan Quandt
• “The Number” by Alex Guettler, Ana Krafchick & Helen Miller
• “Roll Play” by Lily Bennett, Enjuli Chhaniara & Dayan Flynn-Walsh
• “Safe at Last: The Story of Antwaan Dixon”  by Nate Sawtell, Dylan Spence & Louis Weissman

Lawrence tells us that “Lost & Found” has been given an additional honor; it will be screened on the prestigious Closing Night program.  He says that both “Lost & Found” and “The Number” are the first short films by students in their initial year of the BHS Video Production Program.

NFFTY received nearly 700 entries from around the world; films from 40 states and 22 countries were submitted. The festival opens at the Seattle Cinerama Theater on Thursday, April 26 and will continue through Sunday, April 29 at the Seattle Center. After the Closing Night screening, prizes and audience awards will be announced.