When the envelopes were opened at Emerson College in Los Angeles on Oct. 18, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced that students from Ballard High School’s Digital Filmmaking Program had won three National Student Production Awards. 

Best Short Form Non-Fiction film went to On the Backs of Salmon, by Chris Barrett, Martin Bolivar, Caroline Harader, Jasper Land, Maddie Lausted, Freeman Marshall, Aaron Miller, Cecilia O’Rollins, and Miles Whitworth.  The documentary is about the struggle of the Elwha people to remove the dam that flooded their creation site and blocked the salmon essential to their way of life.  The students produced the film for IMAX, and it premiered at the United Nations’ World Environment Day.  Best Short Form Fiction film and best Editing went to Bottled Emotions by Zach Boone, PJ Hase, Aidan Jereczek and Bailey Wall.  It concerns a dealer in stolen emotions who has a crisis of conscience.  It premiered at the All American High School Film Festival in New York City earlier this fall. 

This is the third year NATAS has given student awards at the national level, and the third year Ballard film students have been among the winners.  Only a minority of regional winners from 19 Academy chapters across the country are nominated at the national level.  In addition to the three winners, Ballard’s Digital Filmmaking students were also nominated for best Long Form Non-Fiction film (Oso Strong by Maddie Lausted and Freeman Marshall), best Writing (Richard, writing by Wylie Soltes), and best Audio/Sound (Paul, Dark, and Handsome, audio by Cole Kastner).  The films were judged by members of the Academy.  All the honored Ballard films can be viewed on the Digital Filmmaking Program’s vimeo channel.

For more information, and to screen the awards presentation, visit http://emmyonline.com/nationalstudent.

All of Ballard’s honored productions were first screened at the Ballard Film Festival (BFF).  The next BFF will be on Saturday, February 9 at 7 pm in the BHS auditorium.  Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults, and will be sold at the door.