Arkansas PBS > Engage > Pressroom > AETN’s 'Student Selects 2014’ premieres Sept. 25

AETN’s 'Student Selects 2014’ premieres Sept. 25

Posted 18 Sep 2014

The work of Arkansas's next generation of filmmakers will be showcased in "Student Selects: A Young Filmmakers Showcase 2014" airing on the Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) Thursday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. The films will repeat as part of AETN Arts Fridays in four, 30-minute segments on Fridays, beginning Sept. 26, at 6:30 each night.

"Student Selects" is an annual event that highlights the creativity and talent of the state’s kindergarten through 12th grade students. Young filmmakers submit their film and video handiwork for possible broadcast on AETN and streaming on aetn.org, and graduating seniors may compete for THEA Foundation scholarships in screenwriting, directing, cinematography and editing.

"Student Selects" will be a series of four episodes. Episode one will include:

• "Isolated" by Whitney Butler of Bryant High School.
• "A Film on Love" by Reed C. Carson of Fayetteville High School.
• "Escape" by Mina Addams of Low Key Arts.
• "Malevolence and Benevolence" by Samantha Rutherford of Lakeside High School.
• "The Moon" by Jasmine Castillo and Yuri Figuero of Spingdale District TV.
• "Justified" by Andrew Lisle of Har-Ber High School.
• Thea Young Filmmaker Scholarship winner Whitney Butler interview.

Episode two will include:

• "Consequences" by Connor Leech of Bentonville High School.
• "The Little Treasure Chest" by homeschool student Ethan Robinson.
• "Facing Reality" by Nancy Aguilar of Springdale High School.
• Thea Young Filmmaker Scholarship winner Connor Leach interview.

Episode three will include:

• "Planting Trees" by Damon McKinnis of Pulaski Academy.
• "Hermit" by Bailey Sanders of Lakeside High School.
• "Needed" by Grant Berrios of Siloam Springs High School.
• Thea Young Filmmaker Scholarship winner Damon McKinnis interview.

Episode four will include:

• "Searcy Plant Closings" by Dylan Rohr of Searcy High School.
• "A Blast to Remember" by Daniel Byrd of Fayetteville High School.
• "Suicide Awareness" by Whitney Butler of Bryant High School.
• "Black: An After Dark Skate Film" by Devon Gulati and Connor Leech of Bentonville High School.
• Thea Young Filmmaker Scholarship winner Dylar Rohr interview.

All episodes will air Thursday, Sept. 25, from 7 to 9 p.m. Following the initial broadcast, "Student Selects" will air Fridays, Sept. 29 through Oct. 17, as four, 30-minute episodes.

Featured in the broadcast are the 2014 Young Filmmakers Scholarship winning films:

• Screenwriting – Damon McKinnis, "Planting Trees." This film follows a son awaiting information on the outcome of his father's heart attack. He soon realizes how much his father means to him and how many of his father’s traits he’ll apply to his own life.
• Directing – Conner Leech, "Consequences." This short drama about drunk driving "prohibits a detached mindset for the events are not remarkable, and that is what is truly terrifying," Leech said in his submission essay. "Consequences" also won Best Youth Film at the Little Rock Film Festival.
• Cinematography – Whitney Butler, "Isolated." This film follows a young girl being held captive by an unknown source. Butler said in her submission essay that it’s a metaphor for how the girl is isolated in her own mind.
• Editing – Dylan Rohr, "Searcy Plant Closings." This broadcast news segment addresses the closing of the Kohler and Maytag plants in Searcy, information that was not presented to the public and the economic impact on the city.

A second "Student Selects" Halloween special, featuring murder mystery, zombies, ghosts and other spooky student films, will air in two parts Friday, Oct. 31, at 6:30 and 10 p.m.

September also marks the new 2014-2015 "Student Selects: A Young Filmmakers Showcase" and Young Filmmakers Scholarship eligibility period. Entry categories include, but are not limited to, documentary, narrative, animation and music videos. A complete list of film credits and information about submission guidelines is available at aetn.org/studentselects. Entries for 2015 must be submitted by March 27 to be considered for scholarships.

AETN supports, highlights and distributes young filmmakers handiwork in cooperation with the THEA Foundation, the Little Rock Film Festival, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, the Arkansas Film Commission and the Arkansas Motion Picture Institute.

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).