Local Youth Win Recognition in National Film Contest

Two local students will win Honorable Mention prizes in the One Earth Young
Filmmakers Contest Awards at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 24, in an online
event, as part of One Earth Collective's Earth Day Mini Film Fest. The
winners are Longfellow Elementary School (Oak Park) fourth grader Aarya Naringrekar for her 8-minute film, "Plastic Bags? No, Thanks!" and Roosevelt Middle School (River Forest) eighth grader Marin Chalmers for her 5-minute stop-motion film, "Sondaica."

Their films will screen along with 5 other Honorable Mention
winners of all ages from across the country. The students will be
interviewed briefly by One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest Founding
Director Sue Crothers. Register at oneearthfilmfest.org/earth-day

In "Plastic Bags, No Thanks!" Aarya poses as an environmental
reporter raising the questions, “What did people use before plastic bags
were invented?” and “Do people in other countries use plastic bags?”
She interviews older, local adults and children from India and Australia
to gather her answers. Aarya also focuses on local actions taken to
push through an ordinance charging a 10-cent fee for plastic or paper
bags. In the village of Oak Park, this resulted in a drop in plastic bag
usage from 15 million per year to 2.3 million in 2019. Nevertheless,
Aarya reminds us that Americans continue to use 100 billion plastic bags
every year, recycling only 1 percent.

In "Sondaica," Marin uses stop-motion with delicate paper cutout drawings
to tell the story of rare Sumatran tigers: only 400 remain in the wild.
These stately creatures are at risk from poachers who sell their skin,
bones, teeth and organs for thousands of dollars. Deforestation is
causing habitat loss as well, another risk to their survival. A mournful
melody and appropriate sound effects help tell this evocative story of a
mother and baby tiger.

“I learned about the endangered Sumatran tigers, and I wanted to spread
awareness, educate and possibly make a difference in saving such
beautiful animals and their habitats,” writes Marin in her contest
entry.

The One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest awards short environmental
films created by students from grade 3 to age 25. Films that inspire
change or action stream in from across the country each year, with 149
total submissions reviewed by 22 jurors in 2021. Top prizes range from
$100 to $1,000. Competition is fierce; these Honorable Mention films are
not to be missed.

Register for these events and more Earth Day screenings here.