Laguna Beach Students Take Top Honors At My Hero Film Fest

Laguna Beach student Emily Baker (center) is recognized, amongst fellow filmmakers, at the 7th Annual MY HERO International Film Festival

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Contact: Wendy Milette                   
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LAGUNA BEACH STUDENTS TAKE TOP HONORS AT MY HERO FILM FEST

Los Angeles, CA - 11/11/11 - Laguna Beach Students swept up four major awards at the 7th Annual MY HERO International Film Festival.  The festival celebrates the best of humanity through digital media and showcases the people who make the world a better place.

Emily Baker poses with Film Festival Director Wendy Millette

• Don't Blow It, a 1-minute short by Laguna Beach High student Jack Winter, is the 1st place winner in the high school division.  The film traces the journey of a discarded plastic bottle as it travels from a woodland creek, through a storm drain and into the open ocean. This PSA was made to raise ecological awareness.

• Wildlife Waystation, a film by Chad Kanner, took second place in the middle school division.  The film showcases a Southern California organization that rescues, rehabilitates, relocates and provides sanctuary for abused exotic animals and native wildlife.

• In the elementary school division, the first place award went to Together We Can Create World Peace, by Emily Baker of Tow Elementary. The film chronicles the Laguna visit of a group of Tibetan monks, who spent five days creating and sharing a sand painting, or mandala, in an effort to foster world peace and harmony.

• Trash Talk took third place in the elementary division.  The film, by Luc La Montagne, of El Morro Elementary, profiles the Zero Trash organization, a community-based project designed to clean up and care for Planet Earth beach communities. 

In addition, Laguna Beach alum Shaun MacGillivray won the "Best of Fest" award for his short film One World One Ocean. The four-minute short provides an overview of the One World One Ocean campaign, a worldwide movement to restore and protect health of the world's oceans.

After the Best of Fest film One World One Ocean is presented, Laguna Beach students are recognized along with the rest of the filmmakers who participated in this year's Film Festival

The MY HERO Film Festival is part of the award winning MY HERO Project, a non-profit web project with a mission to celebrate the world's heroes. These, and other, hero-themed films, can be freely enjoyed by all on the MY HERO web site (myhero.com/finalists2011).

MY HERO is proud to present many fine films at this year's screening and Award Ceremony, which will be held on Saturday, December 3, 2011, at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts.   The public is invited to an afternoon and evening of beautiful works and inspiring people.  Please RSVP at: www.myhero.com/rsvp.