|
|
| NFFTY nurtures young filmmakers
|
by E. Joyce Glasgow -
SGN A&E Writer
The National Film Festival For Talented Youth (NFFTY) nurtures and supports young, budding filmmakers from age 7 to 22. Founded by filmmaker Jesse Harris, 23, this national film festival is based in Seattle and now in its second year, featured 113 jury selected films ranging in a number of categories including documentaries, science fiction, action and horror, animation, family, international and eclectic mix programs.
I was impressed by the professionalism, skill, maturity and fascinating and fresh subject matter that was evident in the films I saw during the April 24-26 festival. One favorite was a documentary, Lucky Boy by Alex Gaylon, 23, from Pennsylvania, in which he contacts his birth mother for the first time, finding her information through Google. He's sitting in a recording studio and his conversation with his mother is recorded as they speak. The interaction works out perfectly as they are mutually thrilled to speak to each other and since then they have become close and he has two new young siblings, who were recently born to his birth mother and father. His adoptive parents are great and very supportive of his bond with his birth parents. I met him and his adopted mother and she is just terrific and enthusiastic and of course very proud of her son, who won two awards from the festival.
Another entertaining film, Surfing Fifty States, was made by two 22-year-old Aussie surfers, Jonno and Stefan, who were determined to surf in all 50 states, water and waves or not, and committed to not have to pay for a single night's lodging in the process of traveling. Someone donated the use of an old ice cream truck and they took off on their mission, which became more of an adventure as the truck kept breaking down. This turned out to be a blessing, as it helped them to connect with new friends along the way, making their journey far more personal. They surfed on many surfaces, including in landlocked states, on a hill of potatoes, a sand dune, and were towed on surfboards, water-ski style, on bodies of water. The film was their first and was really fun, carefree and filled with laughs.
Californian Michael Tucker, 22, made a film called The Reunion of Amilia Marbleberry and Marcy Stills, about a young woman, an artist, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and what happens when an old school friend comes to visit who has issues that she is dealing with, as well. The story was engrossing and the filming of this sensitive subject was well done.
One of the "horror" shorts that was a scream (ha ha) was a spooky tale by Chad Engel, 18, Mary's Ring, about two young guys who dig up a dead bride's body to grave rob her ring for one of the guys to give to his girlfriend. The guy wakes up the next day to find the ring gone from the drawer, where he had placed it the night before, muddy footprints and the skeleton of the dead bride, in her wedding gown, sitting up in bed beside him, which was a nice scary surprise at the end.
Nine San Francisco Bay Area youth from 14-22 made a thoughtful LGBTQ-focused documentary, Don't Erase My History, which featured positive portrayals of prominent LGBTQ individuals and events in California history.
The youngest participant, Emily Salva, age 7, made a charming and amazingly adept hand-drawn animated short Odysseus and the Cyclops, from Homer's Odyssey. She received two Festival awards.
NFFTY is a wonderful film festival for people of all ages and I highly recommend attending next year and supporting this stimulating and worthy event.
To learn more about the films and the festival visit: www.nffty.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2009 Film Fest's Gay highlights
------------------------------
Grease, high energy is the word at the 5th Avenue
------------------------------
NFFTY nurtures young filmmakers
------------------------------
Disconnected Picasso misses timing
------------------------------
Pulitzer-winning Rabbit Hole in Seattle
------------------------------
Freak Show: See what's behind the curtain
------------------------------
Maria/Stuart a gutsy production
------------------------------
Ben Folds a madman on the piano
------------------------------
------------------------------
What was the Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court decision?
------------------------------
Art that will inspire you
------------------------------
SIFF's Gay films, an enormous range
------------------------------
Pop Star on Ice is an interesting vanity piece
------------------------------
Little Ashes' fictional twists dull its impact
------------------------------
------------------------------
Q-Scopes by Jack Fertig
------------------------------
------------------------------
Taking Back Sunday's Matt Rubano rocks out
------------------------------
Northwest News
------------------------------
------------------------------
Activist confrontations
------------------------------
------------------------------
Deep Inside Hollywood - Romeo San Vicente
------------------------------
------------------------------
Book Marks
------------------------------
------------------------------
------------------------------
The news we use
------------------------------
Sensuous, sassy, provocative dancing
------------------------------
Icelandic artist performs in EMP restroom
------------------------------
A Dyke About Town: Progress for "significant otters"
------------------------------
The Sisters have money to give away!!!
------------------------------
------------------------------
------------------------------
------------------------------
------------------------------ |
![[Valid RSS]](images/valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed"){kind=small}
post your own information on
http://sgn.org/rss.xml | what is RSS? | 
use Google to set up your RSS feed