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Isaiah Ferguson ‘17, second from left in the second to top row, is photographed with other student filmmakers and President Obama.
Crystal Kober ‘18, Amia McCombs ‘18, Tana Carrillo ‘18, and Maxi Coulter ‘18 give their film a “thumbs up” at the GreenShorts film contest at UCLA.
PHS Student Named a Finalist at White House Student Film Festival
Broadcast Journalism Students Win Award for Short Film
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saiah Ferguson ‘17 was among the finalists selected out of hundreds of entries at the third annual White House Student Film Festival. Isaiah’s short animated film, A Vision, received an honorable mention and was screened at the South By South Lawn festival at the White House on October 3rd. This year’s theme was “The World I Want to Live In.”
tudents enrolled in the Providence Broadcast Journalism class won an award for a film they submitted to GreenShorts, an environmental short film contest held by the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. The contest showcases high school students’ ideas, commentary, and vision for our city and the world. The screening and award ceremony took place on October 20th at UCLA.
“It was so surreal having my film screened at the White House! Just being in the same building where [everything happens] was hard to take in,” reflected Ferguson.
The award-winning short film, A Helpful Herd of Environmental Heroes, was entered into the Environmental Heroes category, which seeks to highlight people or communities making an environmental difference.
This marked Ferguson’s third time entering the festival, each year receiving an honorable mention, but the first time he has been invited to attend the Student Film Festival, as well as the South by South Lawn Festival at the White House.
Students Tana Carrillo ‘18, Maxi Coulter ‘18, Crystal Kober ‘18, Amia McCombs ‘18, and Adriana Ortega ‘17 conceived, researched and wrote the story while their classmates helped produce and film the broadcast portion in the Cinema Arts Studio.
“I’d like to pursue a career in the animation industry someday, and maybe even work across the street at Disney Studios. Nickelodeon has also caught my eye. I’d also like to work as a parttime musician,” said Ferguson, who already has a job with Mattel in which he scores music for Thomas the Tank Engine videos on the official Thomas & Friends YouTube Channel.
The film was screened at the EarthNow/Earth2050 symposium at UCLA, which explores all facets of modern environmental challenges and highlights efforts to make lives and businesses more sustainable.
During his time in Washington, D.C., Isaiah had the opportunity to meet a few celebrities at the festival, including Ty Burrell, Alfre Woodard, and Adam Savage. In addition to the film screenings, there were discussion panels, live music, and artwork on display. However, the best and most exciting moment of the trip for Isaiah was when the student filmmakers had the chance to meet President Obama.
Aside from the film contest and screening, members of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability have invited Providence Cinema Arts students to collaborate on an EcoCentered broadcast that would be produced at Providence, in direct conjunction with the University. Special thank you to devoted Providence High School supporters, Carmen and Ray Ferrante, who helped make the initial connection to the contest.
“I think [President Obama’s] job pays off when he knows that he is inspiring many children and young adults across the country to make the world a better place through these films,” said Ferguson. Pioneer Connections
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