Film Prize Jr New Mexico, the Taos-based statewide youth film education and festival initiative is excited to announce our festival April 23-24.
Film Prize Junior New Mexico will host its inaugural festival April 23 at the Dreamcatcher 10 in Española, with awards presented April 24 at Moving Arts Española. The festival, presented by the Prize Foundation and the Stagecoach Foundation, will showcase short films created by students representing rural, urban and Tribal schools from 20 New Mexico counties. Attendees of the festival will be able to watch the films and help choose the winners. Film viewing and voting will also be available virtually at filmprizenm.com.
Seven Taos County schools are creating 16 short films to feature in the festival: (Taos HS, TISA, Taos Academy, Red River Valley Charter School, Roots and Wings Community School, Peñasco ISD and a Taos homeschool student). The Town of Taos is a sponsor, and UNM–Taos has created two dual-credit programs around the initiative.
“It’s incredibly inspiring to see what these teachers and students have created,” said Gregory Kallenberg, executive director of the Prize Foundation. “Creating film is a way for these students to learn how to work hard and get on the path to success. We are very proud to see this happening in New Mexico."
The nationally unique program is free and open to high school and middle school students across the state of New Mexico, providing mentorship and interactive workshops throughout the process. Students not only create films, but also market and promote their films during the festival to an audience who helps determine the winner.
“It’s been amazing watching these teachers and students tackle the art and business of filmmaking,” said Rosey Hayett, director of Film Prize Junior New Mexico. “I definitely see this as an incredibly successful first year, and I look forward to seeing us continue to grow and give all kids in New Mexico the chance to be a part of Film Prize Junior.”
During the festival, student filmmakers will be able to connect with each other and compete for media and equipment grants for their schools as well as scholarships. Awards will be presented for Best Film as well as Best Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi/Thriller, Stop Motion/Animation, and Documentary/PSA. The awards ceremony will happen on April 24 at Moving Arts Española.
"As a founding and active partner, I am honored to be hosting Film Prize Jr. New Mexico in my district — supporting young people to gain the skills of storytelling, teamwork and technical training is a worthy investment.” said state Rep. Roger Montoya.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
All comment authors MUST use their real names. Posts that cannot be ascribed to a real person
will not be moderated.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.