Film, photo awards showcase youth talent
As lights went dim, middle and high school students aggressively hushed one another into silence. As credits rolled, they erupted with vibrant applause. One girl whispered in amazement at a manipulated black-and-white photo of an upside-down skyline hovering above a desert landscape, and a boy two rows over howled in laughter at a video of actors mimicking real-life scenarios while riding in a car.
About 500 students from nine schools across
Pojoaque Valley High School junior Alejandro Medina exits the Lensic with his service dog Zeus, following the Future Voices of New Mexico Student Film and Photography Festival and Awards Ceremony on Tuesday. Medina won third in the documentary film category for a short video he made about his relationship with Zeus. Northern New Mexico gathered at the Lensic Performing Arts Center on Tuesday morning for the 11th annual Future Voices of New Mexico Student Film and Photography Festival and Awards Ceremony.
The event showcased the top three videos in five film categories and top four photos in eight divisions from hundreds of submissions. The winners were selected by staff members at Santa Fe Photographic Workshops.
Three-minute video shorts ranged from breakup storylines and social media-related satires to nature-themed stop animation and experimental features. Photos ranged from close-ups of flowers and distorted architectural shadows to commercial portraits and colorful landscapes.
Among the student-created motion pictures was Alejandro Medina’s film Zeus the Service Dog ,a documentary about his relationship with his 4-yearold golden retriever.
Medina, a junior at Pojoaque Valley High School, has experienced intractable epilepsy since third grade and wanted to tell the story of his “best friend” Zeus, a service dog he said has saved his life.
“He loves me very much. He comforts me whenever I’m having a seizure, but also when I’m not,” Medina said, adding he has epileptic episodes daily and that things have changed drastically for him in the year that he’s owned Zeus.
“He’s everything to me,” Medina said.
Medina’s documentary stitched together imagery of him and the dog while audio played in the background. Throughout, Medina’s voice told the story of how Zeus came into his life and how having him around has made him feel safer and much more independent.
For teachers and organizers, this type of expression is why the festival is so important.
“[This event] gives students a voice for their creative ambition,” said Michelle Andrews, a film teacher at Capital High School, who several students raved about in their acceptance speeches.
Andrews said attending the event and watching her students participate in Future Voices gives her hope and pride.
“I get to show off my kids. They’re so brilliant,” she said, adding her students have won an award in at least one category during her eight-plus years at the school. “I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Medina’s film — which he directed, edited, and produced — earned third place in the documentary category. But to the teen, participating wasn’t about winning an award.
“You see a lot of service dogs out there, but some people don’t know why they’re there,” Medina said. “I wanted to give people an idea of what a service dog is and how loyal they are.”
Award-winning films and photos from the event will be displayed on the Future Voices of New Mexico website later this month.