by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
Two Korean American student filmmakers recently won awards at the 2015 White House Student Film Festival.
This is the second year the White House has hosted the student film festival. Under the theme “The Impact of Giving Back,” 15 winners were chosen this year among 1,500 short films created by elementary and secondary school students.
President Barack Obama personally welcomed the selected winners, including Jason Kim and Anna Yeo, to the White House to have their films screened on Friday. Hollywood celebrities Steve Mcqueen, Hilary Swank, Amber Riley, Lala Anthony and Kal Penn also served as presenters for the films.
Kim’s film, A Student’s Dream, portrayed how great teachers can help students in need achieve their dreams. Kim received the Creative Luminaries award, along with two other young filmmakers.
Meanwhile, Yeo’s stop-motion film Start Here received the Together We Can award. The animated film explored the aspects of social justice, which Yeo describes in the short as “the idea that every person, regardless of the identity they embody, has an equal chance of achieving happiness and success.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyPu-tIUNSo
“In this country, if we give all of our kids the best opportunities, technology and resources, there’s no telling what they’ll create,” Obama said during his speech at the festival. “These aren’t just great films, but they are also great examples of how young people are making a difference all over the country.”
The White House decided to pair each winner with a mentor who would provide guidance for the next couple of months, with support from the American Film Institute (AFI), Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA).
All three organizations have also pledged a million hours of educational and mentoring programs for young people across the country over the next three years.
You can watch the entire film festival below:
https://youtu.be/6TxviAbk_l8?t=2h45m54s
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Featured image courtesy of The White House blog
