MONTCLAIR, NJ – Montclair Film announced the winners of the 2021 Emerging Filmmaker Competition (EFC) Thursday. Co-presented by Guerriero Gelato & Cakes, EFC celebrates the work of filmmakers in two filmmaking sections, Storytellers (Grades 6-8) and Visionaries (Grades 9-12). The films represent a wide range of styles and voices that showcase the diverse talents of young people who are using cinema to tell their stories. Categories include narrative, comedy, documentary, experimental, animated, horror/suspense, and social impact films, with a special category this year called My COVID Life!, which asked students to reflect on their experiences during the past year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Screenings of the films and awards will be given in each of these categories on Saturday, June 5th and Sunday June 6th at Montclair Film’s Cinema505.
This year’s adult judges are Evan Baily, (President, Consolidated Baily), Ellin Baumel (Supervising Producer, Axios on HBO), Margaret Bodde (Producer & Executive Director of The Film Foundation, Evan Cutler (Writer and Producer, Big Fish Entertainment), Mark Fitzmartin (Head Of Production, New Light Content Inc.), Amy Friedman (Head of Kids + Family Programming, Warner Brothers Entertainment), JoAnn McCullough (Executive Director, IMANI Programs).
Winning films are available for online viewing by visiting http://bit.ly/EFC2021Films
“I wanted the students to work towards something big, and the Montclair Film Festival was the perfect fit,” says Fallbrook Union High School instructor George Herring of Fallbrook,
California, who brought his winning filmmakers from California to attend the screenings at Cinema505. “Montclair has had an electric effect in our community. In the midst of COVID, here was this amazing honor! It immediately helped to grow the confidence of the students as well as the community.”
“The extraordinary challenges of the past year have allowed our Emerging Filmmakers to think and create in new ways, and their resilience in the face of these challenges is an example of the power of storytelling,” said Montclair Film Director of Education Sue Hollenberg. “We congratulate all of the filmmakers who submitted work to our EFC program, and are proud to be able to welcome our winners to screen these films in-person in a safe environment at Cinema505, our organization’s home.”
Montclair Film’s 2021 Emerging Filmmaker Competition winners are:
Storytellers (Grades 6 – 8)
Comedy: Grand Prize
we RIDE
Directed by Jack Sclafane, Leonia Middle School
Documentary: Grand Prize
Escapades of a Pandemic Surfer
Directed by Onyedikachi Osondu, Bloomfield Middle School
Experimental: Grand Prize
Los Ojos Bonitos (The Beautiful Eyes)
Directed by Willow Killebrew, Montclair Kimberley Academy Middle School
My Covid Life!: Grand Prize:
Remote Learning
Directed by Zack Donohue, Far Hills Country Day School
My Covid Life!: Special Jury Prize
Out Of My Mind
Directed by Lyla Larkin, Watchung School
Visionaries (Grades 9 – 12)
Visionary Award
Vicariously
Directed by Sam Zaslow-Braverman, Golda Och Academy
Narrative: Grand Prize
In These Streets
Directed by Adam Rodarte, Fallbrook High School
Narrative: Special Jury Prize
Copycat
Directed by Peter Di Prospero, Immaculata High School
Narrative: Special Jury Prize
Estimated Time of Arrival
Directed by Daniel Lee, UCVTS Academy for Performing Arts
Comedy: Grand Prize
The Voice of Reason
Directed by John-Trajan Bernardo, Sinjin-Kai Bernardo
County Prep High School (Hudson County School of Technology in Jersey City)
Comedy: Special Jury Prize
Life After Death
Directed by Maura Collins, Ashlyn Estevez, Sasha Harris, Abby Badrick, and Sophie Jackson, Middletown High School South
Comedy: Special Jury Prize
Immersion
Directed by Stephen Sassano and Jason Sassano, Middletown High School South
Animated Film: Grand Prize
Clayception
Directed by Carli Platt, Millburn High School
Animated Film: Special Jury Prize
How To Wear A Mask
Directed by Jason Lewis, Montclair High School
Animated Film: Special Jury Prize
The Diving Contest
Directed by Liam Murphy, Ridge High School
Horror/Suspense: Grand Prize
The Love That Remains
Directed by Darla Matches, Maura Collins, Abby Badrick, and Sophie Jackson, Middletown High School South
Horror/Suspense: Special Jury Prize
The White Wood
Directed by Sophie Jackson, Middletown High School South
Horror/Suspense: Special Jury Prize
The Things We Do For Love
Directed by Ryan McWalters, Chatham High School
Experimental: Grand Prize (tie)
Day of theDead
Directed by Pamela Hernandez, Passaic County Technical Institute,
Experimental: Grand Prize (tie)
Growing Pains
Directed by Jennifer Ruiz-Gonzalez, East Brunswick Tech – School of the Arts
Experimental: Special Jury Prize
Norepinephrine
Directed by Maya Zeidman, East Brunswick Tech – School of the Arts,
Social Impact: Grand Prize
The Reality of Eating Disorders
Directed by Ashley Bergemann, Passaic County Technical Institute
Social Impact: Special Jury Prize
Locked In
Directed by Naylani Burton, Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology
Cinematography: Special Jury Prize
Freak
Directed by Brooks Walker and Terrence Faison, Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology
2021 EFC Showcase: My Covid Life!
Special Jury Awards
Life During a Pandemic
Directed by Carolann Cuebas, County Prep High School
Covid & L’Manburg
Directed by Elliot Chisholm-Reyes, Fallbrook High School
Lockdown Logins
Directed by Hafeez Hardin, Columbia High School
A Year in Quarantine
Directed by Ivie Medina, Passaic County Technical Institute
My Covid VIRUS
Directed by Skyler Garcia, Fallbrook High School
isolation
Directed by Taylor Christenson, Fallbrook High School
