Thu 10/19, Josiah Media Festival
Named after 20-year-old Josiah Miles Neundorf, a film/media student who passed away in 2006 from osteosarcoma, the Josiah Media Festival serves as a reminder that, oftentimes, youth films are more daring and original than those made by more experienced but derivative filmmakers. This year is no exception: the four winners (chosen out of a pool of 1,800 international 20-minutes-or-less shorts directed by auteurs 21 and under) in narrative, documentary, experimental and animation categories are a feast for the eyes. But the doc and animation winners are must-sees: Gente di Mare (USA, a gorgeous yet gloomy look at the Italian-American fishing community in Gloucester, Massachusetts) and iRony (Australia, by 18-year-old Radheya Jegatheva, who wrote, drew, shot, scored, directed and produced this trapped-by-technology gem) easily stand out. Full disclosure: my wife (and other local educators) will be a panelist in the “State of Youth Media Panel in Bexar County” roundtable on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., and her SAY Sí students will participate in the local youth screenings at 2 p.m. on the same day. The festival ends with an awards ceremony and Skype conversation with the international winners. In total, 54 films will be screened, including second and third prize winners. $10 per screening, $30 for a festival pass, 7pm Thu-Sat, URBAN 15 Studios, 2500 S. Presa St., (210) 736-1500, josiahmediafestival.com. — Enrique Lopetegui