Portland Adventist Academy senior Christian Lambert has won the first place 2022 Sonny Award for Best High School Short film at the 20th annual Sonscreen Film Festival held April 7-9 at the Loma Linda University Church, Loma Linda, Calif.
Christian’s short film, Tethered, A Star Wars Story, about the battle between good and evil, was one of 28 student films screened from seven colleges and universities, and academies.
His film was called “an audience favorite.”
“After the film screened, audience members cheered loudly,” said festival operations manager Rachel Scribner, “and one viewer shouted, ‘Play it again!’"
“During the award ceremony, when Tethered was announced as the winner, the university students in the crowd broke out into loud cheers and applause,” Scribner shared.
Created as his senior project, Christian wrote the script, shot the scenes and edited the film. He engaged several fellow students who acted in the film.
Christian was encouraged to submit his film to the Sonscreen Film Festival by a contact at Southern Adventist University, where Christian plans to attend classes to pursue film studies.
“Winning a Sonny award shows dedication and talent,” Scribner said, “and we hope Christian will continue to submit his work to Sonscreen in the future.”
Sonscreen is the only film festival sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and is often attended by film majors from Adventist colleges and universities across the country. High school students are also invited to attend and submit entries for the special category of Best High School Short. Professional jury members evaluate each film submitted on its technical, creative and storytelling merit to choose the best film overall.
In addition to screening films, the festival includes networking and social events, as well as educational presentations by professionals in the television and film industry.
More information about the Sonscreen Film Festival can be found at sonscreen.com.
Contributed by Sam Vigil Jr., Portland Adventist Academy
svigil@paasda.org
