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AETN, Thea Foundation announce 2015 student film scholarship winners

Posted 08 Jun 2015

The Arkansas Educational Television Network and the Thea Foundation have announced winners in the Young Filmmakers Scholarship competition for high school seniors.

The scholarship competition is part of 'Student Selects: A Young Filmmakers Showcase,' an annual event that grants future filmmakers from kindergarten through 12th grade the opportunity to submit their film and video handiwork for possible broadcast on AETN, streaming on aetn.org and screening at the Little Rock Film Festival (LRFF) and the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (HSDFF). Winning entries will be posted to aetn.org/studentselects, and 'Student Selects 2015' will premiere on AETN this fall.

For the sixth year, the Thea Foundation in partnership with AETN has awarded graduating seniors four $2,500 scholarships in the categories of screenwriting, directing, cinematography and editing.

Winners of the 2015 Young Filmmakers Scholarship competition are:

• Screenwriting – Cole Borgstadt, Fayetteville High School, 'Go to the Ball With Me, Jenny.' This video is an invitation from a quirky 16-year-old boy for a girl in his language arts class to ask her to their school's winter ball.
• Directing – Reed Carson, Fayetteville High School, 'A Film on Hate.' This film follows a high school boy through many scenarios after his girlfriend says "we need to talk."
• Cinematography – Addison Yates, Harding Academy (Searcy), 'My Ball.' This film Two boys fight over a ball in an epic battle with a surprising conclusion.
• Editing – Michael Driskell, Springdale District Television, 'Trapped in the Oven.' This music video is a hilarious parody of R. Kelly's 'Trapped in the Closet,' a popular rap opera, and features a turkey who finds himself basted, stuffed and trapped in an oven.

To compete for scholarships, seniors were required to guarantee that they were the sole producer of the selected category. Scholarships will be awarded to the student to attend an institution of their choice, regardless of planned major, grade point average or test scores.

Fayetteville High School film producers were also awarded the Best LRFF Youth Film Award for 'Pyro,' written and directed by Borgstadt, produced by Carson and cinematography by Emily Field.

AETN 'Student Selects' partners include Thea Foundation, the Arkansas Humanities Council, Arkansas Film Commission LRFF, HSDFF and Arkansas Motion Picture Institute.

The Thea Foundation is a nonprofit, public foundation founded in 2001 by the parents of Thea Kay Leopoulos, Linda and Paul David Leopoulos. The founders and board of directors have adopted the mission of carrying Thea's legacy forward through advocating the importance of art in the development of youth through educational and promotional activities and to encourage individual participation in art through scholarship, partnership and other programs.

The Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) is Arkansas's statewide public television network that enhances lives by providing lifelong learning opportunities for people from all walks of life. AETN delivers local, award-winning productions and classic, trusted PBS programs aimed at sharing Arkansas and the world with viewers. AETN depends on the generosity of Arkansans and the State of Arkansas to continue offering quality programming. For more information, visit aetn.org, or follow the AETN blog at aetn.org/engage. AETN is broadcast on KETS (Little Rock), KEMV (Mountain View), KETG (Arkadelphia), KAFT (Fayetteville), KTEJ (Jonesboro), and KETZ (El Dorado).