Trip to the White House + Finished Filming "We're Okay"

It seems as though I was at the White House 2 days ago...

So in my last blog post I quickly mentioned that I was planning on making a film for the first ever White House Student Film Festival. So, I did. And out of the 2,500+ entries, I was named one of the 16 finalists! I was invited to the White House, along with the lead of my film, Aiman Marzio, and my mother.

Here was my entry "Hello From Malaysia":

Hello From Malaysia from Kira Bursky on Vimeo.

When there I got to meet Obama (!!), Bill Nye the Science Guy, Neil Degrasse Tyson, and Kal Penn!
There is a photo album on my All Around Artsy facebook page with all of the pictures during the trip:

Post by All Around Artsy.

I told Bill Nye that I wasn't good at taking selfies. So he grabbed my iPhone and was like "let me teach you how!"

Here is my first ever VLOG. With the help of my lovely iPhone I basically recorded our whole adventure and edited it into this video:

VLOG: White House Film Fest Trip from Kira Bursky on Vimeo.

So yes! That was a very surreal and unexpected adventure.

White House Film Fest Article Mentions 

Here are some articles that I've found thus far that I'm mentioned in!:

--------------------------------------------------------

President Obama to Host First-Ever White House Film Festival

Seventeen-year-old Kira Bursky from Asheville, North Carolina has been making films since she was only 10. Her film chronicles a fictional girl, Aiman, who, after being sent to boarding school in the United States, uses technology both to maintain a connection with her family back home in Malaysia and also to share her culture and build connections with her new classmates. 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/02/27/president-obama-host-first-ever-white-house-film-festival

--------------------------------------------------------

"Student Filmmaker heads to D.C."

One local student filmmaker was invited to Washington D.C. to show her short film at the White House.  Kira Bursky is one of only sixteen students from across the country selected to show at the White House Student Film Festival on Friday, February 28th. The theme for the festival was the role technology plays in the classroom. Bursky's film Hello From Malaysia follows a student who just moved to the U.S. from Malaysia, and finds it challenging to adjust to cultural differences. 

Bursky is a student at Interlochen Academy of the Arts. She was the first place winner at the 2013 Mosaic Film Festival in Grand Rapids back in November.

http://www.wzzm13.com/story/news/local/grand-rapids-central/2014/03/03/filmmaker-washington-dc/5981201/

--------------------------------------------------------

"Students Are Stars at White House Film Festival"

I love "Hello From Malaysia" because it shows how technology can bridge cultural gaps

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/students-are-stars-white-house-film-festival-n40846

--------------------------------------------------------

"Future Wes Andersons talk movies, tech at the White House"

A 17-year-old student from Asheville, N.C., Kira Bursky, made a video about how a fictional foreign-exchange student could stay connected to home (via Skype, of course), and tell classmates about her home in Malaysia (via iPhone, of course).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/02/28/future-wes-andersons-talk-movies-tech-at-the-white-house/?wprss=rss_national

--------------------------------------------------------

"We're Okay" Film Updates

In other news: For my senior thesis film "We're Okay" I decided to have a Kickstarter and raise $1,500. Within the first 3 days I got to my goal. By the end of the fundraiser I raised $2,000. I'm still in awe of the generosity I received. I finished the live action portion of the shoot after 3 shoot days.

Here is the trailer for the film:

We're Okay Trailer from Kira Bursky on Vimeo.

I am currently in post-production for the film and pre-production for the animated portions of the film. I plan on going into production of the animation after I get back from my Spring Break. In the next few days I will be meeting with my art department to discuss our plans for building the miniature vintage found-object circus world. Should be fun.

Film Fest Updates

My film Bye Bye Lullaby was accepted to and will be screened at its first film festival at the Portland Oregon Women's Film Festival, which will be held from March 6-9, 2014.
http://powfest.com/bye-bye-lullabye/

Girly will be presented at the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival on Sunday, March 9, 2014 in San Luis Obispo, California as part of the "Filmmakers of Tomorrow Showcase".
http://slofilmfest.org/2014-films/filmmakers-of-tomorrow-showcase/

Other Updates

So Young Arts (the competition I was a finalist in and got to go to Miami for a week for) is the one and only route to becoming a presidential scholar in the arts. I was nominated as one of the 60  candidates to becoming a presidential scholar in the arts. I completed my essays last week and will be crossing my fingers. In the event I am selected as one of the 20 presidential scholars, I will be going back to the White House this summer! That would be pretty nifty!

On February 12, 2014, ScreenCrave.com named We're Okay as the Indie Fundraiser Pick of the Week. We're Okay was listed along with ScreenCrave's list of the best new indie trailers for soon to be released films including The Double with Jesse Eisenberg, Under the Skin starring Scarlett Johansson, and The Two Faces of January with Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst.
http://screencrave.com/2014-02-12/indie-trailers-the-double-under-skin-the-faces-january-were-okay/

Dan Thornton at GigSpotting Network wrote a brief article on January 29 about We're Okay.
http://www.gigspotting.net/were-okay-directed-by-kira-bursky.html

I will be DPing another thesis film in around a month. Additionally I have plans to try and shoot a music video for one of my songs. Right now I'm leaning towards the song "Beautiful Creature." If you haven't heard my music yet, my album is on iTunes. My band name is Miss Whimsy. Check it out! (And if you don't want to pay to listen to my music, it's also on Spotify!)

...gooooodness I am a sleepy. Yet at the same time I wouldn't mind having a one person dance party. Sleep or dance? Hmmm... I think I'll just have some tea!