TOWSON, MD – Move over, famous movie directors.  It’s time to make room for Eli Golding of George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology.

At the 2019 BCPS Film Expo, Golding won both Best in Show and Best Documentary. His documentary, Illustrating History, about locally based and internationally-known artist Balage Balogh, impressed judges and the audience with its sophistication and beauty. At last year’s BCPS Film Expo, he won best Live Action Narrative for his film Hat.

Golding’s documentary was one of 24 finalist films shown at the May 9 Film Expo at the Historic Senator Theatre. The finalist films, most of them 2 – 5 minutes long, were selected from among 135 entries submitted by middle and high school students throughout the county. The finalist films explored a broad range of topics, styles, and moods. One animation explored the power of the words to both hurt and heal. In another laugh-out-loud animated piece, a man and a small creature battled for control of a record player. Two live action narratives used fantasy elements to explore feelings of loss and grief. An experimental film was a beautiful exploration of color. And documentaries told stories about one young man devoted to music and another devoted to basketball.

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

Best in Show – Eli Golding, George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, for his documentary Illustrating History

Middle School
1st Place – Mercy Nwachukwu, Perry Hall Middle School, A Short Animation
2nd Place (tie) – Kira Bergan, Perry Hall Middle School, Air
2nd Place (tie) – Rachel Gaff, Perry Hall Middle School, Gaff Production
2nd Place (tie) – John Jo, Perry Hall Middle School, Picture Worth a Thousand Words
3rd Place – Tiara Aragon, Perry Hall Middle School, Words

Animation
1st Place – Jim Hagan, Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts, Record Player
2nd Place (tie) – Carter Gray, Eastern Technical High School, Lisbet
2nd Place (tie) – Emily Schloer, Hereford High School, Festival of Kitsunes
3rd Place – Anna Franz, Towson High School, Tiny Christmas

Experimental
1st Place – Jessica Lobell, Carver Center, Spectrum
2nd Place (tie) – Kate Marcotte, Carver Center, Triptych
2nd Place (tie) – Karl Riemer, Hereford High School, Dial Up
2nd Place (tie) – Shannon Vong, Eastern Technical High School, Traveling Makes You Feel Alive
3rd Place (tie) – Zachary Bryan, Dundalk High School, Untitled Depression
3rd Place (tie) – Alee Marschke, Hereford High School, Perspective

Documentary
1st Place – Eli Golding, Carver Center, Illustrating History
2nd Place – Markayla Black, Lansdowne High School, Music Never Left
3rd Place – Jayshon Tahliq Grandy, Western School of Technology, James Bishop: Neighborhood Hero
Honorable Mention – Josh Saul & Kamren Jones, Lansdowne High School, Waterways

Live Action Narrative
1st Place – Lyla Mzayek, Carver Center, A Gemini and Her Goldfish
2nd Place (tie) – Annabelle Jones, Carver Center, Mom
2nd Place (tie) – Minna Knight, Carver Center, 2008
3rd Place (tie) – Ricci Green, Carver Center, Where the Monster Sleeps
3rd place (tie) – Colman Hallinan, Dulaney High School, Silence

Animated GIFs
1st Place – Madison Gottschalk, Hereford High School, Rabbits
2nd Place (tie) – Kalida Ames, Deer Park Middle School, Dream of Wonderland
2nd Place (tie) –Makenzie Franklin, Dulaney High School, Removing the Mask
3rd Place (tie) – Falcon Gustin, Western Tech, Melting Creature
3rd Place (tie) – Bernyce Leiane, Western Tech, Transformation into Skeleton
3rd Place (tie) – Eryka Tchuosi, New Town High School, Walk Cycle
3rd Place (tie) – Keegan Whittle, Hereford High School, Candle and Flame

Poster Design – Asra Lakho, Western Tech

“In the 4th year of the BCPS Film Expo we have really seen this event solidify,” said Sherri Fisher, coordinator of the Office of Visual Arts. “The Senator Theatre seats were packed and the smiles on faces as families left the theater were immense. The Film Expo started as a way to provide a venue to the unique talents and artistic voice of students leveraging the digital tools of today. Making sure our students have access to these tools and instruction has allowed their skills to advance and their voices to amplify. Art makes kids powerful, last night we saw the power in these young film makers voices. I could not be more proud of these students and their amazing teachers who helped them get here.”

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, and Stevenson University. On April 13, the university’s School of Design offered a daylong master class in filmmaking to interested high school students who submitted entries to the film contest. 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.