Those who earned Honorable Mention for their films are from top left, **Azyd Aqsha Madani** (The Atlantis Mussels), **Laralyn Geh** (Stop Food Wastage!), **Rachmat Kurniawan Idrus** (The Atlantis Mussels), and **Agatha Zych** (Anthropocene). Middle row from left, **Jack Hinz** (Foundation), **Rohit Rajendra Chougule** (Urbanization), **Ivy Tucker** (Tipping Point), and **Pablo Diaz De Leon Hicks** (The Blue Stag). Bottom row from left, **Mayank Mekala** (Baton), **Edith Zhou Huffman** (Magicicada), and **Arthur Cech** (There Was a Cedar Forest).

By Lisa Biehle Files

The annual One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest Global Awards Celebration is gearing up to take place at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, both in person at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St., Chicago, Illinois, and online virtually anywhere in the world. Featuring the top 10 winning films from among 400 submissions, this event is the second with global reach since the contest started 12 years ago.

Register here for Sept. 22

The Global Awards Celebration will include a sneak peek of the Honorable Mention winners. The audience will see a compilation of these 11 additional films, and several filmmakers will be live in the room to receive their awards. This is the second time we will be recognizing the Honorable Mention winners at our main event, side by side with our TOP WINNERS (which we wrote about last month). A full virtual screening of the Honorable Mention winners will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Register Here Soon for Nov. 2

Learn more about Honorable Mention winning films below.

BATON (5.5 min)
Mayank Mekala, Post-Grad Level
University of California at Davis, California

Mayank’s 5.5-minute science fiction film “Baton” starts out in the year 2023. As the sun sets on civilization, a young man in a red shirt buries seeds underground in a thermos, the “Baton.” Next the scene jumps to the year 2139, when the earth is barren and toxic, where a single robot searches for signs of life amid a bleak, black and white landscape.

Mayank’s purpose in making this film is to, “Give people hope that our actions in the present can drastically change the future.” He prefers the “guerilla filmmaking process,” creating low-budget films with available resources. Mayank shot “Baton” in two days on the iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro. Then, he spent two additional days editing the film using Wonder Dynamics and After Effects for visual effects.

Azyd Aqsha Madani and Rachmat Kurniawan Idrus

THE ATLANTIS MUSSELS (4 min)
Rachmat Kurniawan Idrus and Azyd Aqsha Madani
Post-Grad Level
Multimedia Nusantara University, Tangerang, Indonesia

Rachmat and Azyd travel to North Jakarta, the fastest sinking city in the world, to interview Diman, a fisherman, and Warya, a neighborhood leader of Kerang Ijo Village. In their 4-minute film “Atlantis Mussels,” Rachmat and Azyd show the resourcefulness of residents who pile up multitudes of green mussel shells to resist flooding in their area.

In their submission, the filmmakers write: "In creating this film, our primary aim was to shed light on the profound challenges faced by coastal communities at the Special Capital Region of Jakarta. The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of direct consequences stemming from land subsidence and global climate change, both of which pose imminent threats to the very existence of this community.

“As filmmakers, we sought to capture the resilience and ingenuity exhibited by these individuals in the face of such adversity. The unique solution they devised, using green mussel shells to raise up the ground and safeguard their homes, serves as a testament to human creativity and adaptability in confronting environmental crises.”

THE BLUE STAG (3 min)
Pablo Diaz De Leon Hicks, Animation Post-Grad Level
University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts Los Angeles, California

Pablo features a shimmering blue stag in his 3-minute animated film “The Blue Stag,” a mythical creature given prominence in stories from the Indigenous Wixárika people of Central West Mexico, which is Pablo’s home territory.

The film starts with a young boy hunting a stag with bow and arrow. When he sees a fawn nearby, the boy hesitates, but the stag leaps toward him, accidentally stabbing itself with the arrow, while the two fall together into a cavern. The boy survives, but the stag does not. A blue phantom stag emerges and leads the boy out of the cavern, where he comes face to face with the unexpected.

Writes Pablo in his submission: “As the director, my aim was to illuminate a lesser-explored facet of Mexican culture, respectfully portraying the Wixárika culture with authenticity and intention. Through this tale, viewers embark on a journey that honors the culture's profound teachings about the balance of life's interconnected threads.”

ANTHROPOCENE (4.5 min)
Agata Zych, Animation Post-Grad Level
University of Arts in Poznań, Poland

Agata’s 4.5-minute film “Anthropocene” shows environmental protection through the eyes of very small children, who are especially concerned about animals. They narrate their worries while Agata illustrates through simple black and white animated drawings. We learn that too much sun, fire, or plastic waste can be harmful and even cause family separation. For example, one sweet voice says, “If a polar bear for example, they are walking, and then the ice could broke [from melting glaciers] and then mother from children can be separate, and then they never be together again.”

In describing her film, Agata writes: “As an artist, I feel responsible for showing problems in a way that people can not only see and hear but also feel. . . . [This is] a film full of honesty, truth and a little bit of naivety. It shows people that there are really easy and obvious ways to treat our planet well.”

URBANIZATION (7 min)
Rohit Rajendra Chougule
Senior, University Level
New Art Commerce and Science College, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India

Rohit demonstrates the results of sprawling urbanization through his 7-minute film “Urbanization.” A young boy wins a tree sapling as a first prize in an environmental essay competition at his school. He takes the sapling home but can’t find a spot of earth to plant his tree. When he finds an empty lot near his house, he is discouraged because new construction will start there soon.

Writes Rohit: “In large cities, we separate ourselves from nature. I wanted to show the impact on children and make a plea for urban planning, for trees and nature to be incorporated into urban landscapes.”

FOUNDATION (7 min)
Jack Hinz
Grade 12, University Level
Brisbane State High School, Brisbane, Australia

In his 7-minute film “Foundation,” Jack features Anthony Walsgott at his 120-acre cow sanctuary in Queensland, Australia. While being raised on a 1,000-acre farm as a child, Anthony had been traumatized by the mistreatment and slaughter of animals, especially the peaceful cows. Later, this motivated Anthony to leave his life as a lawyer and open a cow sanctuary. Jack’s film sensitively illustrates Anthony and the cows who live their best possible life at his sanctuary.

“In discussions about environmental issues, we often hear about the damaging implications of animal agriculture, which is responsible for an estimated 14.5% of total global greenhouse gas emissions,” writes Jack. “My documentary tells the lesser-known story of the industry from the animals’ perspective. I hope it can inspire compassion and encourage us all to make more mindful choices in our everyday lives.”

TIPPING POINT (3 min)
Ivy Tucker, High School Level
Mater Christi College, Melbourne, Australia

“Tipping Point” is a 3-minute journey across Australian landscapes, accompanied by Dave Higgins' haunting original score. Anonymous callers express their views on the words 'Tipping Point'. This artful film shows stunning scenery of mountains, cliffs, caverns, and wildflowers, concluding with a powerful quote from the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres about the exigency of climate change.

“This film is an urgent plea to address climate change before we reach a planetary 'Tipping Point,’” writes Ivy in her contest submission. “I have followed One Earth online for a while and believe in its mission to communicate this message as widely as possible. I hope this film can be a part of that.”

THERE WAS A CEDAR FOREST (3 min)
Arthur Cech, High School Level
Homeschooling (family expedition around the world)
From France originally, and traveled in Morocco during this film

Arthur’s 3-minute film “There Was a Cedar Forest” is about the Atlas cedars of Morocco. The first half of his film shows a green cedar forest teeming with wildlife: insects, birds, and monkeys (Barbary macaques). The second half shows the cedar forest decimated by the persistent drought of the past 10 years. Arthur explains that temperatures in Morocco have risen 1.63 degrees centigrade, which is .5 degrees above the global average temperature rise.

Writes Arthur in his submission: “[The magnificent cedar forest] disappeared because of man-made global warming, a result of excessive consumption all over the world. Moroccan people are not the ones who consume so much, but they are the ones who suffer the consequences. . . . Please, wake up and change a little bit every day. Think about what you really need and what you can live without, to let our planet live.”

Screenshot from There Was a Cedar Forest

MAGICICADA (7.5 min)
Edith Zhou Huffman
Grade 6 (now Grade 7), Middle School Level
University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, Chicago, Illinois

A Magicicada is a rare event when two groups of periodical cicadas emerge at the same time. In her 7.5-minute film “Magicicada,” Edith follows the emergence of both the 17-year and 13- year cicadas in Illinois in May 2024, interviewing science teacher Tiffanie Turner. We learn more about these unique and special cicadas and about their important roles in our diverse ecosystem.

“Documentary films can show people the importance of the environment and can help create change that can save animals and natural habitats,” explains Edith in her contest submission. “I wanted to make a film because I care about the environment and want to have a role in protecting it. Showing this film could help me reach more people.”

STOP FOOD WASTAGE!
LET’S CREATE A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT (8 min)
Laralyn Geh
Grade 6 (now Grade 7), Middle School Level
Dwi Emas International School, Shah Alam, Malaysia

Laralyn’s lively personality, creativity, and extensive research anchor her 8-minute film “Stop Food Wastage! Let’s Create a Sustainable Environment.” Laralyn speaks in front a of a constantly-changing green screen, which makes her appear to be under the ocean, in restaurants, next to landfills, and more. She creatively swaps outfits and accessories while pointing to charts and graphs about food waste.

We learn that Malaysia’s landfills are filling to capacity, that 44% is food waste, that the methane released is 25 times stronger than carbon dioxide, that ¼ of greenhouse gas emissions overall are from food waste, and more. Then we learn solutions: order only what you are going to eat, cook just enough, accept imperfect items, order a la carte, etc. Laralyn concludes with the firm demand, “Do your part, now!”

TIGERS IN DANGER (4 min)
50 Students (age 8 to 10) of Multi-Media Project
Under the tutelage of Alexandre Juruena, Elementary School Level
Escola Parque, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“Tigers in Danger” is a 4-minute stop-motion Claymation about two groups of tigers (orange and white) fighting over territory. The tiger cubs, who are friends, become frustrated with their parents when they say, “Why do adults fight so much? When I grow up, I don’t want to be like them. We children see the world in a different way, don’t we?”

When guns shots ring out, all tigers unite as one force against armed hunters, to chase them out of the forest.

Alexandre Juruena is director and curator of the Anim!Arte - International Student Animation Festival of Brazil. He teaches animation workshops at schools in Brazil and at international film festivals around the world. For this film, he worked with 50 elementary school students at Escola Parque in Rio de Janeiro.

Register for Sept. 22

Lisa Files