Kent County Teen Film Festival 2016 winners announced

Forty-four films were submitted to the Kent County Teen Film Festival, which took place at 10:30 AM on Saturday, February 27, 2016 at Celebration! Cinema North. Over 280 people showed up to view the selected entries and cheer on their favorite teen filmmaker.

“I am consistently blown away by the quality of the films we receive, but this year was possibly our best ever,” said Monica Walen, a Youth Specialist at Kent District Library and a member of the Teen Film Festival committee. “The teens put so much time and effort into their movies, and it was great to have the opportunity to honor their work on the big screen. Every year there are new and innovative ideas; I can’t wait to see what 2017 brings!”

And the winners are…

• Best Live Action Short: Sno Day Off, Directed by Jessica Ryan (Rockford Schools)
• Best Commercial: Tae – 25, Directed by Madelyn Jester, Alena Buterakos & Emma Sorenson (Rockford Schools)
• Best Animation: 2015 North Park Animated Poetry Project, North Park Montessori students
• Best Editor: Noah Conner, No Outlet (Rockford Schools)
• Best Director: Ezra Moreno, Tales from the Tundra (Ada, homeschooled)
• Best Actor: Luke McGee, Chupacabra of Darkness (West Catholic Schools)
• Best Actress: Jessica Ryan, Sno Day Off (Rockford Schools)
• Best Screenplay: Katherine Hessler, Davis and Mary (East Grand Rapids Schools)
• People’s Choice Award: Chupacabra of Darkness, Directed by Luke McGee (Rockford Schools)

Winners received a gift card to Celebration Cinema or Apple. Ezra Moreno, the winner of Best Director, also received a Community Media Center Membership and Summer Camp Scholarship.

The films can be viewed on the Kent County Teen Film Festival YouTube channel. The Festival was sponsored by CompuCraft, Celebration Cinema, Kent District Library and Grand Valley State University.

Kent District Library is a public library system operating 18 branch libraries. KDL serves nearly 400,000 residents of 27 governmental units, comprising most of Kent County, Michigan. KDL is an IRS-designated 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by millage dollars and private donations.