In Progress/ Studio 110 is inviting Crookston and surrounding communities to join them at the Grand Theatre in Crookston for a Community Red Carpet Event celebrating three local artists on Saturday, June 11, for their accomplishments of their films taking first place at the 17th Annual MY HERO International Film Festival. The artists entered the Festival in 2021 and won their respective categories out of hundreds of contestants worldwide. Now Studio 110, in partnership with Alluma and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, are throwing a Red Carpet event to celebrate and recognize their achievements since they were unable to last year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The event will begin at 1:00 p.m. at the Grand Theatre, where they will have screenings of the three award-winning films. Afterward, a discussion panel will be available to the audience to ask the artists questions about their films, “We will have a panel discussion with some open questions that the artists will be taking. The three local artists will be present and taking and answering questions about their films,” Studio 110 Studio Coordinator Rena Bouchard explained, “So if anyone is interested in what motivated them in making these films, they can ask.” After the panel, the event will move to the Green Square in Downtown Crookston, where there will be music provided by The Dank, with a potential food truck available for people to buy food and enjoy the music. Admission to the event is free and open to everyone to come.
The three filmmakers are local students in Crookston who range from as young as fourth grade all the way up to high school. The first is Angel Miracle Espericueta, who won the Dan Eldon Youth Activist Award and a few different film festivals with her film “8 minutes, and 46 seconds,” which focuses on the events surrounding George Floyd. Additionally, Espericueta had won the Youth Jury Award at the 2020 Minneapolis Film Festival with her film “Cries of the Children.” The second is Morgen Arguelles, who received 1st place in the High School Experimental category for her film “5400 Children,” which is based on the events of children held at the U.S./Mexican border during the flux of people trying to cross it. The final student is Azomali Obisakin, who received 1st place in the Elementary category for her documentary “Love Can Heal Us All.” A documentary of her telling everyone how love is a healing force. “These films are very, very deep, even for kids, and that’s what they are. They’re kids that created these films. Every single one of them,” Rena Bouchard explained, “All of these videos are coming from these kids who are so young, and they’re so powerful and so moving. It’s just amazing,” she added.
The MY HERO International Film Festival is a part of the MY HERO non-profit education project with the goal to empower people of all ages to realize their potential to affect positive changes in the world. Since its creation in 2005, the Festival has brought in students and professional filmmakers from over 197 countries to share their inspiring stories. With the most inspirational and best films receiving thousands of dollars of cash prizes when they win an award, such as the Dan Eldon Youth Activist Award that Espericueta won.
With the students’ success at the Festival, In Progress/Studio 110 is hoping to make the event an annual one in Crookston to help celebrate the student’s success and work in their filmmaking. Studio Coordinator Rena Bouchard reported that the Studio and the event’s sponsors are currently discussing the process if they will make the event an annual one in Crookston or if they will help the students celebrate in a different way. “That is something we’re currently talking about, and I hope we bring it back every year because this is a great event,” Bouchard explained. “These kids don’t get that much recognition, and it’s amazing for them to win this huge award! Especially for this small town,” she added.
The Community Red Carpet event will be held at the Grand Theatre in Crookston on Saturday, June 11, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. The event is free and open to everyone to come and see the films made by these students, with a discussion panel happening after the film screenings to allow the audience to ask the students open questions about their films. To learn more about the event, you can go to their Facebook event page or email them at studio110@in-progress.org. This event is brought to you by Studio 110 and In Progress and sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, Alluma, and the University of Minnesota Crookston.
