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New Youth Festival Seeks Community Involvement Expressions ~ New Media Festival for Youth is being planned for Bridgewater in April 2008 and organizers are seeking input from community members to make the first festival a success. People of any age ... |
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Youth fest, Folk Fiesta and farewell I AM ASTONISHED that nearly four years have passed since my first column, which featured 2004 South Shore Idol-winner Megan Corkum. That story was about young performers collaborating with established artists to improve their skills and expand their audience. This column, my last, features another story on the same theme. In this case, the judges will be members of a youth jury and the work submitted for competition will be in the form of films, videos, animations, and video games.
Expressions New Media Festival for Youth is taking place in Bridgewater on April 11 and 12. Over the winter I’ve been volunteering with the planning committee. I’ve experienced a few festivals from behind the microphone, but this is my first time behind the scenes, helping to plan one. I am genuinely impressed by several things, in particular the commitment of festival director Ronnie Scullion. Another is the generous response of the local community for this new event. Right from the beginning, Rodney Wasicuna, manager of Empire Theatres Studio 7 in Bridgewater, offered his facility as the festival site. That’s where screenings will be held, along with an expo of related products and opportunities. The Lunenburg Campus of the Nova Scotia Community College is providing a venue for the closing gala where the youth jury will hand out prizes of cash and goodies donated by area sponsors like Bridgewater Photo and Art Supply and Intelligent Choice Computers. Festival publicity has been greatly assisted by Lighthouse Publishing and by Roots and Wings, a brand-new parenting magazine for Lunenburg and Queens County. During the two-day event, local artist Flavia Lytle will offer a zine-making workshop, and Scullion will offer special animation workshops at Artech Studios. Other special events are still being organized. The most important aspect, and always the most impressive, of this festival will be the original work created by youth. Entries are being accepted in three categories: film/video, animation, and video games. They may be group or individual projects in just about any genre, as long as they’re suitable for family audiences. The call for submissions is open to anyone under 19 living in Nova Scotia and the deadline is March 28. The festival website ( www.youthmediaexpressions.com) has submission details and entry forms, information for potential sponsors and volunteers, workshop schedules, programs for school groups, and links to related sites. For creators with projects in development, Scullion is opening Artech Studios on King Street every Tuesday in March for free drop-in time after school for technical help or access to equipment. Expressions is one upcoming event I’m excited about. Another is Folk Fiesta, the annual fundraiser for the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Society. It’s a fun audience-voting thing. Last year’s winners, Grassmarket, couldn’t make it to the festival in August, but they will be back with their sweet mountain tunes at this year’s Fiesta along with former winner Catahoula Brown. Competing for a chance to perform on the 2008 festival main stage will be Gordon Tucker’s ensemble Fiddles and Feet, a group from P.E.I .called Grass Mountain Hobos, and Halifax-based Kev Corbett. The show is at the Pearl Theatre in Lunenburg on March 29 and it starts at 7 p.m. I’ve heard it will likely be a sell-out, so buy tickets early. I plan to turn my attention to a different kind of writing for a while, since I was awarded a grant by the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism and Culture to work on my second novel. I hope to stay connected with the inspirational artists and presenters I’ve met over the last four years and to continue enjoying the abundance of creative spirit here on the South Shore. |
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