Three Local Students Win Top Prize in International Film Contest

San Domenico School juniors, Brendan Buist-Sohn, Allie Mello, and Olivia Nathanson, have won the $350 High School Award in the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest for their film "Browsing for a New Solution." The international film contest is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Can 400 goats browsing on an adjacent hillside help protect a school from wildfire? Apparently, the answer is, “Yes.” In the students’ 5-minute film, groundskeeper Terry Hoy at San Domenico School explains why these adorable animals mitigate fire risk. “They eat down grass, brush, leaves and things that would be fuel for fire, making this a safer place to be during fire season. Plus, having goats on campus is just kind of cute. It’s kind of an interesting look.”

The three high school filmmakers intersperse statistics about increasing California wildfires with playful editing of curious goats gazing into the camera at close range. Hoy elaborates, “The goats are not going to end the risk and danger of a fire, but they will certainly make it less likely to spread and easier to contain.”

The group also receives a matching gift of $350 to direct to an American non-profit that supports the theme of her film. They chose The Wildfire Foundation.

During the past year, One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest received 428 submissions from 58 countries and 35 states. Germany, South Korea, Poland, Argentina, Guinea, India and Taiwan will be represented among winners, along with the U.S. states of Texas, Illinois, and California. The Global Awards Celebration will take place at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, in person at Davis Theater, 4614 N. Lincoln Ave., in Chicago, Illinois, OR online virtually anywhere in the world. A special screening for those in Asia/Pacific is also available. Adam Joel of Aggressively Compassionate will host this special event, introducing the winners before their films premiere. Reserve tickets here.

The One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest asks students from age 8 to 25 to create a 3- to 8- minute environmental film that inspires change or action. Animated or stop-motion films can be a minimum of 45 seconds long. Students receive individualized feedback from a robust jury of film and environmental experts--making this contest a unique learning experience. Learn more about all the winners here. The 2027 contest opens soon on Film Freeway with a deadline of June 25. Learn more about the contest by visiting our website.