Congrats to Film Students at Ai Charlotte

Three students at The Art Institute of Charlotte have won first place in a national film festival about organ donation and will have their film, “6 Days,” screened next month in Hollywood.

The film documents the story of Garrett Terrell of Concord, whose tragic death in September 2003, six days short of his 12th birthday, ended up saving almost 100 lives when his mother, Myra Clayton, decided to donate his organs and tissue.

The students, Jeremy Garcia, Nicole Driscoll and Christian Simpson, submitted their film to the Donate Life Hollywood Film Festival where they won first place. Now, the three are raising money to fly to Los Angeles where they will accept their award, see their film on the “big screen” and mingle with Hollywood professionals at the screening.

Garcia, 24, of Greenville, SC, is a 7th-quarter student seeking his bachelor’s degree in Digital Filmmaking & Video Production. Driscoll, 20, of Weymouth, MA, also is a 7th-quarter bachelor’s student in Digital Filmmaking & Video Production. Simpson, 29, of Charlotte, is a 6th-quarter student seeking his bachelor’s degree in Web Design & Interactive Media.

“Jeremy, Nicole and Christian are passionate about the craft of film-making. They’re a pleasure to have in class because they are so energetic and creative, everyone feeds off their energy” said Digital Filmmaking & Video Production Instructor Rusty Sheridan. “They go above and beyond what is asked in class, and they approach each and every assignment as if it were the piece that will define their portfolios. It is no surprise to me that they have seen this success with ‘6 Days’.”

The students found Ms. Clayton and her story through an organ donors’ list, and they met with and filmed her in February. After winning a local competition in March, the film was submitted to the national competition where the students defeated 25 other filmmakers in the national competition. They expect to be in Los Angeles June 10-13. The screening, to which a variety of movie executives are invited, will be on June 11.

“It’s pretty awesome,” said Driscoll, echoed by Garcia and Simpson. “Here we are just students up against all the others. Of course we were hoping, but I was thinking if we could just win third place...”

The Art Institute of Charlotte offers bachelor’s degree programs in Culinary Arts Management, Digital Filmmaking & Video Production, Fashion Marketing & Management, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Photography and Web Design & Interactive Media. It offers associate’s degree programs in Culinary Arts, Fashion Marketing, Graphic Design, Interior Design and Web Design & Interactive Media.

The Art Institute of Charlotte is licensed to award certificates by the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges and licensed to award Associate and Bachelor degrees by the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina. The Art Institute of Charlotte is accredited by the Accrediting Counsel for Independent Colleges and Schools.

The Art Institute of Charlotte is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of more than 45 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

You can watch the film on its Facebook page at this link: bit.ly/92J2wK.

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