"The America I Am" Youth Film Competition Red Carpet Premiere on Ellis Island

Date: April 20, 2017

Tribeca Film Institute and National Park Service Announce Winners of National Youth Film Competition The America I Am at Red Carpet Premiere on Ellis Island

Next Generation of Storytellers honored on opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival

 
The Statue of Liberty NM and Ellis Island, NY – Drawn from hundreds of submissions by students from across the nation, five short films received a red carpet premiere on Ellis Island during the opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival^®. The winners of the America I Am national student film competition were announced in the Great Hall of the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. The competition, now in its second year, is a collaboration between National Park Service and the Tribeca Film Institute^®. It was designed to foster craftsmanship in filmmaking and to cultivate the voices of the next generation of storytellers.

The five Finalist selected in February received a $1000 production award, and each finalist was paired with a film industry mentor to help polish their submissions. After working to strengthen their films, the finalists traveled to New York for the April 19^th screening of the final cut of their work at the Tribeca Film Festival^® followed by a Red Carpet Premiere in the Great Hall on Ellis Island. 

A jury comprised of representatives of the National Park Service and film industry insiders working with the Tribeca Film Institute^® screened the films at the Tribeca Film Festival^® and announced the winners in Great Hall on Ellis Island.

The top prize, the America I Am Storyteller’s Award, honoring craftsmanship in the interpretation of the American experience was awarded by the jury to the documentary New Frontier by 18-year-old Kyle Ransom of Provo, Utah. The Storyteller’s Award is a $10,000 prize made possible by the support of Eastern National, a non-profit cooperating association of the National Park Service.
 
Awards in other categories of the competition were:
 

• Best Score – Nothing But A Child – Robert Alexander, Kent Connecticut
• Best Story – Life of a Lion – Anisah Abbas, Snellville, Georgia
• Originality – One Defining Dot – Cameron Baer, Logan, Utah
• Collaborative Spirit – Santa Woman – Nyah Sharrock & Tori Issacs, Poughkeepsie, New York
• Best Creative Vision – New Frontier – Kyle Ransom, Provo, Utah

 
Following the premiere of the films on Wednesday, the finalists spent Thursday taking part in the Tribeca Film Institute’s Producers Academy, a full day of filmmaking master classes taught by industry professionals, and an opportunity to meet with other young filmmakers from across the country.

 “We were so impressed by these young filmmakers and their ability to craft deeply meaningful and moving films that reflect their American experience,” said Cherie Butler, Deputy Superintendent of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island. “Telling stories is at the heart of what we do in the National Park Service, and it’s why it’s important that we play a role in cultivating the voices of the next generation of storytellers. Partnering with the Tribeca Film Institute on the America I Am competition was a natural fit and the perfect way to reach young people and bring their creative vision to the screen. The remarkable quality and diversity of this year’s films are a testament our partnership with Tribeca”.
 
 
About the Tribeca Film Institute - Tribeca Film Institute®’s educational programming leverages an extensive network of people in the film industry to help New York City students learn filmmaking and gain the media skills necessary to be productive citizens and creative individuals in the 21st century. The Institute® is a year-round non-profit organization that champions storytellers to be catalysts for change in their communities and around the world. Tribeca Film Institute®’s educational programming leverages an extensive network of people in the film industry to help New York City students learn filmmaking and gain the media skills necessary to be productive citizens and creative individuals in the 21st century.
 
About the Statue of Liberty National Monument -“The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World” was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States and is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, and designated as a National Monument by Presidential Proclamation in 1924. Its purpose under the National Park System is to preserve, protect, and interpret as a national and international symbol of freedom and migration and to promote understanding, reflection, and discussion about the meanings of liberty and opportunity.
 
About Eastern National - Eastern National is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit cooperating association, supporting the interpretive, educational, and scientific programs and services of the National Park Service and our other public trust partners. Founded in 1947 by National Park Service rangers who convened at Gettysburg National Military Park, Eastern National’s vision was to serve as a shared-resource retail and educational network for America’s special historical, cultural, and natural places — helping to support the interpretive and educational programs of our partners.
                 
 

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