Congratulations to the Abington Senior High School students who participated in the 2022 Greenfield Youth Film Festival.  This festival is the largest and most competitive in the Philadelphia/Montgomery/Bucks county area, with over 20 schools submitting films that are judged by industry professionals.  Abington students did extremely well at this prestigious competition.  The following students received awards at the ‘virtual’ Awards Ceremony on April 27, 2022:

• Anna-Liza Medynska placed first in the Experimental category for her film, “Holodomor,” a visual abstraction of the faminein Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933 that killed millions of Ukrainians. Judges called the film, “creative,” “haunting,” and “important.”
• Lucy Tyler placed second in the Experimental category for her film, “My Mother’s Kitchen,” a film that captures the essence of a “character” in a specific place. Judges praised the effective use of visuals and sound, and one judge wrote, “every kitchen tells a story and so did you!”
• Olivia Wade was the lead producer for the MadLibs Movie Trailer Group Project, “The Scientist,” which placed first. Vince Hessenthaler and Dylan Lybrand appeared in the film trailer, and Will Brenner, Brandon McCoic, Anna-Liza Medynska, Jenessa Nixon, Beck Punzo, and Lucy Tyler contributed to the project.
• The following students collaborated on the short film, “Soaring,” which won the award for Funniest Film: Will Brenner, Vince Hessenthaler, Dylan Lybrand, Jack Malis, Brandon McCoic, Anna-Liza Medynska, Jenessa Nixon, Beck Punzo, Jessica Schneider, Lucy Tyler, and Olivia Wade. One judge commented, “Great build of tension, edit, and punchline! I laughed out loud!”
• Two other films made the Finalists list: Beck Punzo’s narrative comedy, “Stuck,” and Vince Hessenthaler’s experimental film, “Vastata.”

The Greenfield Youth Film Festival is a forum for young filmmakers to collaborate, create, and showcase their work while expressing their creativity through film. It includes a full day academic workshop taught by university professors and professionals in the film industry to provide the students with skills and relevant film-based education in a hands-on environment. The year culminates with the awards night when students are highlighted and recognized publicly for their expression and effort and given prizes in the form of cash, trophies (known as “Greenies”), experiences, and other film-related gifts.