The Halton District School Board recently celebrated its 10th anniversary of its popular filmmaking competition called, The Eddies. And the quality of work submitted for The Eddies festival, held at Abbey Park High School this spring, highlighted this celebratory year.

The Eddies is a festival that celebrates student success in filmmaking by recognizing technical and creative achievements. The Halton Student Film Festival is open to all students currently attending any Halton District School Board secondary or elementary school. Previous Eddies award winners have graduated and gone on to achieve much success in the film industry, with some capturing prestigious awards for their work.

More than 300 students participate each year from various subject areas making this a true display of how technology can be integrated in all academic and technical subjects. "Eddies" are given out in various categories during an awards gala. Following the presentation of awards, all winning entries are viewed on a big screen.

The categories are wide ranging, from comedy and public service announcements to music video and animation.

The Eddies award a Palm D’Eddy – representing Best in Show winners – to a student in the elementary and secondary level. Sunningdale Public School student Emma Frew received a Palm D’Eddy for her work, Rolling Girl while Oakville Trafalgar High Schhol student Christian Pearson received a Palm D’Eddy for his work, How To Make a Movie by Yourself.

For a complete list of winners, click here.

The Eddies festival was started 10 years ago by Jeff Bowman, Multi-Media Administrator; Dale Andrews, communications/technology teacher at White Oaks Secondary School; Martyn Olenick, department head at Aldershot High; and Don Jones, who at the time was a program consultant. As technology made it easier for students to produce movies on their own, they felt there was a need for a venue to celebrate this creativity.

In the first year of The Eddies, there were 32 entries; all from secondary students. This year, 135 entries were received – 73 from elementary and 62 from secondary students.

Past winners have gone to film school and are now successfully working in the film industry. They include Ana Yavari (Eddies 2005), editor on The Tudors (Gemini award winner at age 24); Morgan Rozender (Eddies 2002), documentary filmmaker (Gemini award winner at age 22); Kelsey Larkin (Eddies 2002), music video director, who has created videos for Hawksley Workman, Northcote and The Fullblast; and Yazad Rabadi (Eddies 2003), short film director, who screened a project at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

The Eddies website, www.theeddies.ca, has an archive of past winner’s works that can be viewed. Please keep checking the website to view this year's winners as they will be uploaded shortly. In 2005, The Eddies won two national awards: National Innovative Educators Award and the Canadian Association of Communicators in Education Award.