kidz shortz

Update (March 10): New date for awards ceremony is March 28!

Update: The Awards ceremony originally scheduled for March 7th, 2013 has been postponed due to forecasts of inclement weather. Stay tuned for a new date

Kidz Shortz is an educational initiative by the Montclair Film Festival, in partnership with Barista Kids and Montclair Art Museum, aimed at showcasing and inspiring the talent of Northern New Jersey students in grades 4 through 12. The competition ran fromm October through February and the theme of this year’s competition was “Freedom…The Way I See It.”

Montclair Film Festival received so many amazing film submissions from talented young students (even internationally!) and after the difficult part of choosing the best in each category, has announced the winners. The young filmmakers will be awarded at a ceremony on Thursday, March 7 (see update above) and the winning films will be screened at MFF ’13!

And the Kidz Shortz 2013 winners are:

CINEMANIACS

GRADES 4-6

GRAND PRIZE

A Trip To The Movies
Solo Project
Lily Jones
Hillside Elementary School, Montclair, NJ

 

2ND PLACE

Alex And The Adventure Of Orcs
Less Than 3 Filmmakers
Evan Kurtz, Ben Reynolds
Homeschooled, School of the Arts

 

STORYTELLERS

GRADES 7-9

GRAND PRIZE
Free Your Imagination
Solo Project
Grace Gorant
Mount Hebron, Montclair, NJ

 

2ND PLACE

Freedom Of Speech
Less Than 3 Filmmakers
Kaylyn Jaeger
Mellanie Lopera
Kriss Pierre-Paul
Linden High School, Linden, NJ

 

GRAND PRIZE: Freedom The Way I See It

Class Project
Devon D’Andrea
Alex Cahanap
Maherlyn Morency
Riley Levin
Alea Krouse
Williamstown Middle School, Williamstown, NJ

 

2ND PLACE

Untitled
Class Project
Grades 7-9
Kayla Phillips
Mount Hebron, Montclair, NJ

 

 

VISIONARIES

GRADES 10-12

GRAND PRIZE
Painted Love – The Tale Of A Free Artist
Solo Project
John General
Warren Hills Regional High School Washington, NJ

 

2ND PLACE: (Tie for Second Place)

Untitled
Solo Project
Ryan Callahan
Warren Hills Regional High School Washington

 

No Regrets
Solo Project
Alfie Barker
Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

 

GRAND PRIZE

Fat Man
Class Project
Tom Fama
Ryan Mulvihill
Adam Cole
Warren Hills Regional High School Washington, NJ

 

2ND PLACE

Doppelganger
Class Project
Tom Kaspereen
James Freeman
Will Monahan
Kevin Kapral
Warren Hills Regional High School Washington, NJ

 

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Original Score

Somewhere In The Nation
Jeremy Stepansky
Maya Stepansky
Rennasaince School, Montclair, NJ

 

Special Effects

The Fight
William Sokoloski
Columbia High School, Maplewood, NJ