FREE LIVE FILMMAKER Q&A May 22, 2021 2:00pm CST: Join MSPIFF Programmer Deb Girdwood, moderator Amaka Nwokocha and youth filmmakers for a conversation about film.
WATCH THE RECORDED Q&A
Nextwave Youth Shorts Competition
Excellence in Filmmaking
Music for the End of the World by Emmanuel Li
Jury Award (tie)
Sophie and Jacob by Max Shoham
091319.mov by Kunwoo Kim
Watch the jury award announcement at the end of the Nextwave Youth Shorts program.
Enjoy a free program of shorts made by high school students all over the world, including right here in the Twin Cities. A showcase celebrating the finalists of MSPIFF’s Nextwave Youth Film Competition, this year’s program was selected from over 400 submissions by the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s Art Team, a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) group of young people dedicated to racial, cultural, and gender representation as a priority in their work to intentionally make space for youth of various backgrounds, and to create opportunities for emerging youth artists.
As young artists, we understand how hard it is to find balance in life during a pandemic and to continue to create art. Although the circumstances of this year made it a little difficult, it was incredibly inspiring to see the creativity that blossomed from this time. We selected these finalists based on the diversity in filmmakers, genre, and memorability. We hope you enjoy these beautiful selections of films by talented and skilled filmmakers.--Mia Art Team 2020-2021
Films are listed here in screening order.
Music for the End of the World: Would the apocalypse really be all that bad? A London teenager defies doom and embraces solitude dancing in a gas mask on a sunny hillside.
Director: Emmanuel Li | Runtime: 7 min | Fiction | Country: UK | English
Dumplings: A beautifully animated film portrays a typical Chinese-American household making dumplings together.
Director: Rebecca Feng | Runtime: 2 min | Animation | Country: USA (Kansas) | English
Notice Me: Three individuals tell stories of their journeys from homelessness to independence in a documentary made to highlight how society commonly disregards people living homeless and their hardships.
Director: Catherine Shelley | Runtime: 6 min | Documentary | Country: United Kingdom | English
Dreamer:Waiting in the shadows of the disapproving eyes of a parent, an LGBTQ+ teen dreams of showing their true self.
Director: Nickolas Krueger | Runtime: 3 min | Fiction | Country: USA (Wisconsin) | English
A Drop of Yellow: Aditi is a young workaholic data analyst who lives in a dull, gray, monotonous world. One morning, in search of something different, she discovers the magic of colors.
Director: Anikait Malhotra | Runtime: 7 min | Fiction | Country: India | English
Testing Time: The day of the test has arrived. Panic sets in as school becomes a nightmare.
Director: Simon Pasquesi | Runtime: 2 min | Fiction |Country: USA (Illinois) | English
Project LIFE: Responding to the big question, "What Is LIFE?" from four points in his lifetime, a person discovers a unique answer to the question that works for him.
Director: Arjun Rajeevan | Runtime: 8 min | Fiction | Country: India | English
Ferris Wheel: Two brothers, Ding and Balong, go to the local carnival to celebrate on the night of Ding’s birthday. When they get off the ferris wheel, a mystery appears.
Director: Karl Draizen Anganangan | Runtime: 8 min | Ficton | Country: Philippines | Tagalog
George Floyd Media Journalism: Aaliyah Demry reports on the impacts of youth activists of color in Minneapolis in a media journalism project using footage from sit-ins and protests from the George Floyd Uprisings and community interviews. Made with the Best Buy Teen Tech Center at Hope Community Center.
Director: Aaliyah Demry | Runtime: 2 min | Documentary | Country: USA (Minnesota) | English
Tea Time: The process of making tea is figuratively compared to falling into addiction, showing how easy it is to cover up a problem by obscuring it with socially accepted behaviors and denial.
Director: Zofia Zarska | Runtime: 5 min | Fiction | Country: Poland | No Dialogue
Sophie and Jacob: On a ship fleeing war torn Romania in 1939, Sophie and Jacob meet and imagine a world together. This animated historical memoir of Jewish refugees is inspired by the filmmaker’s own family story.
Director: Max Shoham | Runtime: 9 min | Animation | Country: Canada | English
091319.mov: A teen studying abroad in idyllic Hawaii during the global pandemic tries to connect to his mother through his laptop while experiencing isolation and the acute ripple effects of COVID-19.
Director: Kunwoo Kim | Runtime: 5 min | Fiction | Country: USA (Hawaii) | English, Korean
Will I Die Because I’m Black?:Made via FaceTime, a high school student in California reaches out to a friend to talk about the pain of racism and police brutality in the U.S..
Director: Christian Lee | Runtime: 2 min | Documentary | Country: USA (California) | English
X-Ray: A music video for Moyana Olivia's song "X-Ray" (featuring Mac Turner) was inspired by and incorporates footage from Minneapolis uprisings and protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. The video encourages people to take action against police brutality and vote in the November election. Made with Hope Community Center’s Best Buy Teen Tech Center.
Director: Martaize Smith (New School Media) | Runtime: 5 min | Music Video | Country: USA (Minnesota) | English
Content Advisories:
Sophie and Jacob: animated scenes of war, starvation, and a house burning
Tea Time: depicts a young person experiencing addiction
X-Ray: contains effects that may be triggering for photosensitive viewers.
Nextwave Selection Committee / Mia Art Team:
Crystal Celeste Price, Teen and Community Associate
Mateo Silva
Mahawa Keita
Lluvia Proa-Granillo
Will Mercil
Izabella Red Feather
Om Harris
Dani Bonifaz
Rhea Viswanathan
Pre-screening by Art Team Alum:
Etienne Angulo-Umana
Zero Blue Everhart
Ursula Girdwood
MSP Film Society Facilitators:
Craig Laurence Rice, Youth and Adult Programming
Deborah Girdwood, Lead Programmer, Nextwave Programs
Nextwave Student Interns:
Amaka Nwokocha
Morgan Bailie
Sponsors