10 MCVTS student films selected for All American High School Film Festival

10 MCVTS student films selected for All American High School Film Festival

 Ten short films by students at the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools have been accepted at the 2019 All American High School Film Festival, having been selected from more than 2,000 submissions from all 50 states and more than 40 countries.

 The seventh annual festival will be held Oct. 11-13 in New York City, with screenings at the AMC Theater in Times Square. Festival winners will receive scholarships and prizes worth more than $400,000.

 “This is the biggest high school film festival in the world,” said teacher Louis Libitz, whose digital film program is part of the School of the Arts on the MCVTS East Brunswick Campus. “Being selected is the equivalent to getting into Tribeca or Sundance on the high school level.”

 The selected films by MCVTS students are: drama, “After Dark" by Isaiah Gomez, a 2019 graduate from Perth Amboy; documentary, "The Art Coach" by Michael Garlatti, a 2019 graduate from Edison; experimental, "Royal -- Luminosity" by Amanda Clark, a 2019 graduate from North Brunswick, and "Slip From Memory" and "Phosphorescence" by Emily Arce, a 2019 graduate from South River; horror/sci-fi, fantasy, "Questborne" by Frank Gravagna, a 2019 graduate from Sayreville, "Remnant" by Jonny Vorreas of Edison and Noah Perez of South River, both 2019 graduates, and "Iterum" by Melia Velez, a 2019 graduate from Woodbridge; music video, "Feel Like"  by Noah Perez, a 2019 graduate from South River, and "Judas" by Aviel Bolesa, a senior from Woodbridge.

 In addition, a photo by Melia Velez was selected for Photog Fest, held in conjunction with the All American High School Film Festival at the Chelsea Neighborhood Art Gallery in New York. Her “Ribbit” won third place in the landscape category. It was one of 111 photos to be recognized out of more than 6,000 entries.

 More information on the All American High School Film Festival is available at https://www.hsfilmfest.com.

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