In one documentary, art students shared favorite memories from their final high school field trip to Philadelphia. In another, art students described the supports they want from Baltimore County Public Schools to help them prepare for life as working artists. One student’s experimental film described a young man’s struggle to accept that he viewed the world only in slow motion. Another student’s documentary started to describe teen angst but transformed into a celebration of individuality. A character in one film awoke to discover his favorite hat had gone missing in the night. A character in another film awoke with super strength and explored how he might capitalize on that.

Those are only a few highlights from the 2018 Baltimore County Public Schools Film Expo. On April 12 at the Historic Senator Theatre, 27 films by the Film Expo’s finalists were shown before the event’s largest audience ever. The finalist films, most of them 2 – 5 minutes long, were selected from 124 entries received from middle and high schools throughout the county.

The event, emceed by Mary Rose Madden, senior news producer at WYPR, concluded with an awards presentation to:

Best in Show – Uriel Artiaga, Parkville High School, for his experimental film “New Beginnings”

Live Action Narrative
1st Place – Eli Golding, George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, “Hat”
2nd Place – Colman Hallinan, Dulaney High School, “Pariah”
3rd Place – Eli Golding, Carver Center, “Groceries”
Honorable mention – Maggie Bryan, Carver Center, “Keep Practicing”

Documentary
1st Place – Matthan Teves, Eastern Technical High School, “Dear BCPS… We Are Artists”
2nd Place – Mark Pustovoyt, Carver Center, “Who Am I?”
3rd Place – Markayla Black, Lansdowne High School, “This is Markayla”
Honorable mention – Emily McCown, Lansdowne High School, “Philly Video”

Middle School
1st Place – Mrs. Rodruiguez’s 1A Grade 6 Class, Sudbrook Magnet Middle School, “The Great Chip Debate”
2nd Place – Aakhu Spruill, Samahi Spruill, and Abrahim Mahmud, Sparrows Point Middle School, “Into the Closet”
3rd Place – Sabrina Smith, Parkville Middle School, “Sneaky Santa”
Honorable Mention – Bailey Kelly, Parkville Middle School, “Portal Problem”

Experimental
1st Place – Uriel Artiaga, Parkville High School, “New Beginnings”
2nd Place – Lawrence Sacay, Owings Mills High School, “DREAM ON”
3rd Place – Wayne Banga, Eastern Tech Technical High School, “I AM UNIQUE”
Honorable mention – Lyla Myazek, Carver Center, “ADMIRATIONAL HAPPINESS”

Animation
1st Place – Gage Mellon, Lansdowne High School, “Mental Echo”
2nd Place –Amanda Bosse, Hereford High School, “Dancing”
3rd Place – Phoebe Kurniawan, Hereford High School, “Ya Dig”
Honorable mention – Joseph Sienkiewicz, Hereford High School, “Tweets Kill”
Honorable mention – Crystal Martinez, Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts, “Stranger Living”

GIFs
1st Place – Oliver Huber, Hereford High School, “Eyes/Bees”
2nd Place (tie) – George Schwab, Hereford High School, “Boxers”
2nd Place (tie) – Kira Shahid, Western School of Technology, “My December”
3rd Place (tie) – Max Gudeman, Hereford High School, “dance”
3rd Place (tie) – Zack Young, Deer Park Magnet Middle School, untitled

Poster Design – Gage Mellon, Lansdowne High School

T-shirt Design – Seth Wigley, Western School of Technology

The award-winning films will soon be available for viewing at the BCPS Film Expo website and will be shown at this year’s Maryland Film Festival. As part of their prize packages, students received passes to the Maryland Film Festival and gifts from the film expo’s sponsors.

The Film Expo was coordinated by a committee of BCPS teachers and funded by The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, Inc., through a 21st Century Instructional Initiative Grant as well as their Marquee Sponsor Rosedale Federal Savings and Loan. Additional support came from the BCPS Office of Career and Technology Education and Fine Arts, The Senator Theatre, Oh Snap! Photo Booth, The Walters Art Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, Single Carrot Theatre, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Firaxis Games, and Maryland Public Television. Judges for the competition included local and Hollywood-based film professionals, and local artists and educators. Film Expo awards were designed and produced by Michael Doddo and his technology education students at Hereford High School.