Pawleys, Conway students in finals of Young Filmmakers Project

Two local high school students are among the top 10 finalists from the 2015 Young Filmmakers Project, the statewide competition created to foster media arts education by the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism and Trident Technical College.

“The One,” by Christopher Collins of Pawleys Island, and “The Sharpest Sense,” by Azure Allen of Conway, will be featured with the other finalists at a special screening at the Indie Grits film festival on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at the Nickelodeon Theater, 1607 Main St., in Columbia. Both students are home-schooled.

The screening is free and open to the public. The filmmakers also will be on hand for a Q&A as part of the program.

Following the screening, the finalists’ short films will be posted on the contest’s YouTube page for public voting for a two-week period beginning Monday. Public scores will be combined with the judges’ scores to determine first-, second- and third-place winners, all of whom will receive cash prizes.

“This is the fourth year of the contest, and the entries just keep getting better and better, from all across the state,” said project coordinator Brad Jayne. “These two-minute films are very diverse and entertaining, with real quality. I think audiences are really going to enjoy them.”

The contest was open to all S.C. high school students, with entries due in February and required to follow certain creative parameters, including shooting at least one scene at a S.C. state park. A panel of judges scored all entries to determine the top 10.

For more information on the Young Filmmakers Project, including links to the top 10 finalists starting Monday, visit www.indiegrants.org/youngfilmmakers.php. For more information on the Indie Grits film festival, visit www.indiegrits.com.

This story was originally published April 14, 2015 at 8:48 AM with the headline "Pawleys, Conway students in finals of Young Filmmakers Project."