Clayton Kruse wins Actuality Media Scholarship Competition

Aspiring filmmaker Clayton Kruse has been announced winner of Actuality Media's Documentary Scholarship Competition.

Mr Kruse has won a 100% scholarship for an Actuality Media Documentary Outreach to study the art and practice of filmmaking while producing short documentaries on changemakers in a developing community.

Actuality Media's scholarship competition invited college students and aspiring filmmakers to produce a short documentary on a local changemaker making a sustainable impact on chronic social or environmental problems.

Program Director Aubrie Canfield said Mr Kruse's participatory short documentary on Walla Walla University's recycling program had her hooked from the very beginning.

“Clayton’s film showed a knack for visual storytelling, positing an unknown early in the film that drew me in. He piqued my curiosity in the recycling dilemma at his University and I wanted to know more,” Ms Canfield said.

Mr Kruse said the film was inspired by the anger he felt when upon discovering his college had secretly ceased its recycling program.

“I wanted to make a film that would inform students about the truth, whilst at the same time, encouraging people to become more aware of the waste they produce,” Mr Kruse said.

“The film has already sparked a new sense of responsibility – not only in the university, but in the students that attend.”

Ms Canfield said the scholarship for an Actuality Media Documentary Outreach, would provide Mr Kruse with invaluable real-world experience as a filmmaker and help kick-start his career.

“Actuality Media Documentary Outreaches are an opportunity for film students and recent graduates to live among an unfamiliar culture, listen to the stories of individuals who have a very different life experiences and learn a nonfiction production process that will aid his next career move,” she said.

“Clayton will experience the transformative benefits of our programs; exploring outside of his comfort zone, really understanding someone else’s perspective, and seeking out stories about solutions to problems in underserved communities.

“He'll come away from his chosen Documentary Outreach program knowledgeable and experienced in on-location story development and production and will have made connections to changemakers in another part of the world.”

Mr Kruse said he was excited for the opportunity to develop his portfolio and broaden his life experience.

“As a filmmaker, my goal is to inform, educate and inspire people all over the world, and I felt that the Actuality Media Scholarship Competition could be an interesting avenue to further my film aspirations,” he said.

“My two favorite things are traveling and film, so the stoke level is extremely high!”

ABOUT ACTUALITY MEDIA
We are more than a film study abroad program. We are a service learning organization that takes students and young professionals abroad to create short documentaries on changemakers in developing communities around the world. Our films spread the word about nonprofits, NGOs and social entrepreneurs who are implementing innovative, new ideas to combat chronic social or environmental problems. To date, our programs have produced over 100 documentaries and micro-documentaries in 17 countries on 5 continents. Find out more about our work and adventures at www.actualitymedia.org

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PRESS CONTACT
Stephanie Capper
steph@actualitymedia.org

This release was published on openPR.