Grandin Theatre Film Lab wins top honors
Grandin Theatre Film Lab wins top honors; WHEN THE LIGHTS GO ON AGAIN and BURDEN, sweep Capital EMMY Awards in High School Fiction categories
ROANOKE, VA – April 4, the Grandin Theatre Student Film Lab has won two very prestigious awards. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter, has awarded two Grandin Film Lab Films top honors in the 2017 Capital Emmy High School Fiction categories. Grandin Theatre Film Lab student Chloe Shelton and her team walked away with the BEST PICTURE in the High School Long Form-Fiction Category for her film, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO ON AGAIN ( see film here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFiCEEgI6XM&feature=youtu.be ).
Grandin Theatre Film Lab student Phoebe Barker and her team walked away with the BEST PICTURE in the High School Short Form-Fiction Category for her film, BURDEN ( see film here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-lXn76mMnE&feature=youtu.be ). Both teams were first time film makers and both films are products of the after-school program sponsored by the Grandin Theatre Foundation.
Shelton, an incoming senior level homeschooler from Salem, wrote and directed the film from its inception. Working with her film lab team including Preston Clower, a sophomore homeschooler from Salem; Reid Burton, a junior at Salem HS, and Nabeel Raza, a junior from Hidden Valley, the team set out as first time filmmakers in the pilot year program in Grandin Village. WHEN THE LIGHTS GO ON AGAIN is a period piece short film about a family, set in WWII London during the bombings.
Barker, an incoming senior level homeschooler from Roanoke City, wrote and directed her film, BURDEN. Working with her film lab team including Jason McCarthy, a senior at Cave Spring; Ben D’Oleo, a senior at William Fleming, and Zane Farmer, a freshman from Hidden Valley. BURDEN is a short film exploring the often unseen weight that accompanies those who are bullied.
“We could not be more proud of Chloe, Phoebe, and both of their teams. They both decided early on that they were going to go big with their films and push the limits of what they might be capable of as first time film makers,” said Grandin Theatre Foundation Executive Director Ian Fortier. “We are so happy for them that all of their efforts were validated with these huge awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. These are Emmy Awards. This is huge for these kids. We can’t wait to see what these students are going to do next in Year Two.”
“We are so excited and thankful for the opportunity to work with the Grandin Theatre Film Lab, where I found such a strong peer group in my first year”, said Shelton. “It is truly a place where I have been encouraged to express myself, find my artistic voice and collaborate with other students from all over the Valley.”
First-year students from the program completed four year-end films (WHEN THE LIGHTS GO ON AGAIN, BURDEN, MINOR P.I.’s, and THANATOPHOBIA). All four films have been submitted to over a dozen film festivals from Bristol, VA to Austria. DVD and Blu-ray copies of the films are available on sale at the Grandin Theatre concessions counter and will be available on Grandin’s new YouTube Channel by May 2018. In addition, both films now qualify to be entered in national awards portion of the Academy’s contest.
The 2018 Grandin Theatre Film Festival will be held Tuesday, May 22 at 7:15 pm in the Main Theatre. Admission is $5.
The GRANDIN THEATRE FILM LAB program represents a model of experiential learning in screenwriting, acting, lighting, filming, editing, production, technology, and promotion. Our goal is to develop a continually improving model for molding the lives of youth as they grow not only as screenwriters, actors, directors, editors, and producers, but as contributing members of our society and informed citizens.
The National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter (NCCB) of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) is a non-profit, professional organization serving the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC television community. The NATAS Emmy® Award is the industry’s benchmark for the recognition of television excellence.
About the Grandin Theatre
The mission of the Grandin Theatre Foundation (GTF) is to preserve the historic Grandin Theatre as a cultural and educational resource devoted to film and the cinematic arts for Western Virginia.
Media Contacts:
Ian M. Fortier, 540-345-6377, ifortier@grandintheatre.com
Brenda Prieto, 540-521-7680, marketing@grandintheatre.com