Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Ballard HS Filmmakers Win Arts Honors

November 2006

The National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts has recognized two Ballard High School video students for the artistic achievement and promise evident in their productions. Mixtli Zavaleta received an Honorable Mention, and Kyle Seago a Merit Award. As a result, each will receive a cash prize from the NFAA. Both are third year students in Ballard’s Video Production Program and plan to study filmmaking in college.

The NFAA Arts Recognition and Talent Search identifies and supports young talent in the areas of music, theater, visual arts, photography, writing, and film & video. Students submit a portfolio of work that is carefully reviewed by a panel of filmmakers and educators. Mixtli and Kyle produced work that was selected from more than 5200 submissions nationwide.

Mixtli has also won the Grand Prize at Temple University’s national high school film and video festival for “Ave Rats”, a short documentary about homeless youth in Seattle’s University District. The production also received an Award of Excellence from the Northwest High School Film & Video Festival. Kyle’s short film “Exposed” also won an Award of Excellence from that festival, in addition to the prize for Best Student Short at the Maple Valley Film Festival last spring.

To see award-winning shorts by Ballard video students from the first five years of the program, join us for “The 5th Anniversary Showing” in the BHS auditorium on Friday, January 12 at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but a $5 donation is greatly appreciated! (All proceeds support the Video Production Program!)