a couple of days ago, i presented two awards at the rochester teen film festival. one for “best social justice message” – it was awarded to east high school kids who made a film about volunteering by focusing on the homeless in rochester. they interviewed sister grace and shot the homeless tent city which was later bulldozed by the city of rochester, in the middle of a harsh winter (in dec last year). it’s always riveting to see young people take ownership of their community. i was truly moved by these kids, many of whom come from tough neighborhoods, and their desire to improve the world around them.
i also presented the award for “best animation”. i talked about how my first reaction to the piece was that it looked more like video art produced by an artist rather than straightforward animation. set to verdi’s requiem, it’s full of symbolism, movement, panache, and color – color which like the music that accompanies it, swells into a stunningly grand and expressive register. verdi’s requiem is often called an opera in disguise or a requiem on steroids. to be able to visually conceptualize verdi’s larger-than-life, dynamic music, what better medium than animation and what better language than the abstract language of dreams and symbolic imagery. river melcher’s “a dream of evolution” brought all these elements together with incredible artistry. check it out.