Budding young filmmakers across the country will have a forum to showcase their work, under plans by a New York City high-school student.
Zachary Levy, a student at the Trinity School in Manhattan, has launched the first New York National High School Festival--organized and run by students--to highlight films and videotapes produced by high-school students.
“For too long, student films have been considered mere attempts at imitating more commercial fare,” a flier announcing the festival states. “This festival should show that high-school students have their own unique visions and the ability to illustrate them in compelling ways.”
The festival is open to anyone 18 years old or younger; any format or genre is acceptable. A panel of judges---including John G. Avildsen, the Academy Award-winning director of “Rocky"--will evaluate the entries and award trophies to exemplary works. Each filmmaker will also receive a written evaluation from the jury.
The festival is scheduled to take place Feb. 22 at the Trinity School. The deadline for entries is Feb. 1. More information is available from Mr. Levy at (212) 876-5727.
Students in at least six states will be able to register their preferences during the 1992 elections.
Kids Voting, a program begun by a private group in Mesa, Ariz., in 1988, will expand next year to include students in Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, and Baltimore. Other states are expected to join, according to officials from Kids Voting USA.
The group has also received inquiries from other nations, including Hungary and the Soviet Union.
Under the program, students in grades K-12 receive up to 10 hours of instruction on voting and the political process. They then accompany their parents into the voting booth and cast their own ballots, which are compiled. Some 400,000 Arizona students participated in the 1990 program, officials said.
The program has helped increase voter turnout, according to group officials. In locations where Kids Voting has been in place since 1988, turnout has been up by 5 percent, they said.
To help encourage disadvantaged 4th graders to stag off drugs and in school, the National Football League is sending trading cards to 1,200 inner-city elementary schools.
The project, created in conjunction with the Bank Street College of Education, is also aimed at teaching children about physical fitness, nutrition, and other issues.
--R.R.
