Yosemite National Park to Award Short Films Celebrating Nature and Connection to Yosemite

Date: February 19, 2014

Winning Films from the Youth in Yosemite Film Contest to be Shown in Yosemite Valley

Yosemite National Park announces Youth in Yosemite Short Film Contest award winners. The films focused on Celebrating Nature and What Yosemite Means to Me. The two themes were designed to celebrate art, beauty, inspiration, nature, and a personal connection to Yosemite. An array of unique films were submitted that celebrated the park from many different perspectives. 

Contest winners films will be shown during the Range of Light Film Festival in Yosemite Valley on Saturday, March 1, 2014. The showing will be held in the Yosemite Valley Theater from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Audience members will also have a chance to speak with the filmmakers about their films. The special ceremony is a family friendly event and is free. (All other events at the Range of Light Film Festival require a ticket.) 

Film contest winners for the category Celebrating Nature include: 

• 1st Place: Within the Valley, by Philip Kennedy 
•  2nd Place: Through Ansel's Eyes, by Zachary Rich 
• 3rd Place: Picturing Yosemite, by Rebecca Adams, Kerissa Morin, Hannah Schiff, Jessica Johnson 

Film contest winners for the category What Yosemite Means to Me include: 

•  1st Place: Life Cycle, by Patrick Webster 
•  2nd Place: A Story in Yosemite, by Alejandra Guzman
• 3rd Place: Alone I Might, by Tali Drohan 
•  Honorable Mention: Yosemite Is A Place of Joy, a Place of Family, a Place to Get Inspired, by Jesus Dolores 
•  Honorable Mention: Yosemite My Home, by Cecilia Valdovinos 
•  Honorable Mention, Best Collaborative Submission: Greeley Hill Kids Find Hidden History, by River Seal, Clan Polson, Colton Lessley, Cole Seal, Mercedes Martinez, Lily Lessley
•  Honorable Mention, Sharing the Visitor Story: Yosemite is Our Home, by Dahlia Santiuste, Francisco Del Rio, Kianna Conger, Brock Sanders, Jr. 

This event is a part of the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Yosemite Grant. The park is honoring the sesquicentennial, which will culminate on June 30, 2014, the day in which Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove were protected for all time. For a list of all anniversary events, please visit www.nps.gov/yose/anniversary. 

Yosemite Conservancy, The Ansel Adams Gallery, and the National Park Foundation provided support for this student inspired project.