Seventeen year old Spencer Hetherington of Saint John won the Grand Prize and People’s Choice Award for his short film The Island in the 15th annual ViewFinders: Atlantic Film Festival for Youth Film Competition.
The annual festival of film, video and media for youth announced its award-winners for the ViewFinders Youth Film Competition presented by DHX Media in a press release issued today. The screening took place at the Scotiabank Theatre in Halifax on Saturday June 4th.
ViewFinders Youth Film Competition Presented by DHX Media
Award winners include:
Grand Prize (Hewlett Packard Stream 11.6” Touchscreen Convertible Laptop)
The Island
Spencer Hetherington (Saint John, NB)
People’s Choice (Hewlett Packard Stream 11.6” Touchscreen Convertible Laptop)
The Island
Spencer Hetherington (Saint John, NB)
Fiction First Place (Canon PowerShot SX410)
The Basement
Louise Lacson (Halifax, NS)
Fiction Runner Up ($100 Cineplex Gift Card)
The Purple Heels
Zanthia Bérubé (Middle Sackville, NS)
Documentary First Place (Canon PowerShot SX410)
Class of 2016
Meagan Brown (Hammonds Plains, NS)
Documentary Runner Up ($100 Cineplex Gift Card)
Waterboy
Sawyer Bailly (Halifax, NS)
Atlantic Filmmaker Youth Film Competition Jury:
This year’s Jury was made-up of members from the Atlantic Canadian film community, including Rhys Bevan-John, Dawn George, Tara McClair, and Megan Wennberg. These exceptional individuals decided the awards to celebrate the best youth made films submitted to the competition as part of the ViewFinders Youth Film Competition presented by DHX Media.
Awards were presented by David Regan, EVP, Strategy and Corporate Development, DHX Media Ltd. and Wayne Carter, Executive Director, Atlantic Film Festival Association.
“ViewFinders expanded its reach in 2016 as we took the Festival on tour throughout the Maritime provinces. At each stop the enthusiasm we saw coming from students of all ages was incredible,” said Wayne Carter, Executive Director at the Atlantic Film Festival. “The ViewFinders team encourages young filmmakers to put their ideas on the screen and the Youth Film Competition is the extraordinary result of youthful exuberance meeting an art form head on. Every year we are astounded at the creative imagination these talented young filmmakers bring to this event.”
About ViewFinders: Atlantic Film Festival for Youth
Named after the optical window of a camera, ViewFinders: Atlantic Film Festival for Youth began as a week-long film festival for young people and their families in 2002. Since then it has grown into an Atlantic Canada wide youth initiative that brings the Atlantic Film Festival experience to school groups and communities across the region.
Each year ViewFinders presents the best in regional, national and international films for youth, tackling issues from multiculturalism and community to sustainability and creativity. The program’s activities introduce the wonderful world of filmmaking through hands-on media workshops, and through film competitions, ViewFinders provides a platform for young filmmakers – a proven launching pad for the next generation of talent.
ViewFinders is the first step in a life full of experiencing and celebrating the art of film and filmmaking.
ViewFinders: Atlantic Film Festival for Youth is a part of the Atlantic Film Festival family of programs. Today’s Atlantic Film Festival is now a year-round celebration, growing beyond our eight-day cornerstone event in September to include: ViewFinders, the AFF Outdoor Film Experience and Strategic Partners.
