‘VIDE EN ROSE’ wins awards
The 5th annual Gallup Teen Film Festival capped off a one-day run April 29 at the Children’s Branch of the Octavia Fellin Library with an awards ceremony that recognized the best of the fest.
Anne Price, youth services manager and film festival coordinator at the Children’s Branch, oversaw the event. Price thanked the volunteers, judges, attendees, filmmakers and guests for contributing to the success of the 2017 festival.
“It was great,” Price said. “I think everyone who attended was pleased with the film selection.”
The film entries were Vide En Rose by Angeline Noelle Diongson, An Artist’s Block by Abigail Littlefield, and Some Christmas Story by Michael Martinez. Each film averaged about 5 to 10 minutes in length. The three filmmakers are juniors at Miyamura High School and worked together and apart in making the films. They call themselves Wired Panda Productions.
“Making this film was a great experience,” Diongson said. “I was pleasantly surprised that I won an award.”
Diongson’s Vide En Rose won an audience pick award and a separate jury award. Diongson, 16, wrote, directed and produced the film. The film’s English title translation is Life in Pink and is about the study of music. It is described by Diongson as a modern day perception and tribute to the art of Alt-J and its respectable philosophies of song. Alt-J is classified as indie rock.
Some Christmas Story is a comedy about a dysfunctional family’s holiday. An artist’s Block is the summation of an artist who has never had trouble putting pen to paper.
“I saw all of them and liked them,” Gary Connors of Gallup said. “They are very talented and young and made some very good films.”
Diongson said she was in Albuquerque on family business at the time of the film festival and heard about winning the award from afar. Price said 20 people came through the Children’s Branch to see and talk about the films.
By Bernie Dotson
Sun Correspondent
