The First Scholarship Recipient: Sophie Mitchell

The scholarship committee is pleased to announce that Sophie Mitchell is the first recipient of the Justin Amorratanasuchad Scholarship. Sophie is a 2012 graduate of The Center School, a public high school is Seattle. In Sophie’s words: Film has had an immense impact on how I view myself and how I view the world. I have …

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2013 Scholarship

For the 2013 scholarship, students who (1)  submit work to the Northwest High School Film Festival, (2) are graduating from Puget Sound-area high school film production programs, (3) demonstrate financial need, and (4) are recommended by their film teachers may apply. If you are interested in applying for future scholarships, please ask your film teacher …

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Justin’s Story

On April 17, 2011, the world lost one of its bright lights. Justin Amorratanasuchad died in a tragic accident in Boston, while doing what he loved most: telling a story through film. Justin was a student in the film program Emerson College at the time. Justin was born in Bangkok on November 22, 1989 to …

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Help Us Build the Fund

Thanks to Ballard High School’s Video Production Program and several awards, Justin built a portfolio that gained him acceptance into prestigious film schools. But Justin was only able to attend a top school like Emerson College in Boston thanks to a scholarship and support from his extended family. Talented students of modest means have a difficult time financing …

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The First Scholarship Recipient: Sophie Mitchell 2013 Scholarship Justin’s Story Help Us Build the Fund

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Thanks to all who donated to the fund May 15, 2013 via the Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG campaign!

Justin was an amazing, magnetic young man who passionately loved making films. His creativity was contagious—no one around him could escape its pull. His high school experiences at the Ballard High School Video Production Program in Seattle contributed greatly to his development, but Justin gave as much to the program as he took from it:

Justin’s productions are still used as examples to teach new students. He had a gift for storytelling and visualizing ideas. He also had a great sense for editing and was as comfortable in front of the camera as he was behind it.

Matt Lawrence,Teacher
Video Production Program
Ballard High School

Justin continued to inspire his professors and student colleagues at Emerson College.

[Talking about his projects] brought out the best in me and left me with a shared sense of vitality for the creative possibilities of not just filmmaking but of a life fully lived. I say now, with complete sincerity, that Justin accomplished more in his 21 years than most people do in a lifetime. He followed his dreams and put all of himself into the fulfillment of those dreams. He created amazing work and lived an inspired and inspiring life.

All of us as creative entities know how hard all of this is, but we have an opportunity in our lives to continue to create in his honor, to take from his life inspiration and motivation to persevere through our own challenges and to overcome our own obstacles. It is a profound gift he has given me and I will be forever grateful for it.

Paul Turano, Artist in Residence
Visual and Media Arts
Emerson College

To honor the creative energy Justin brought to the world, his family and friends have established a scholarship fund for advanced studies in film and television. It will provide assistance to graduates of Puget Sound area high school video production programs who have the talent but need financial assistance to pursue their dreams, like Justin. Contributions to the fund may be made at the Alliance for Education site.

For press inquiries, please contact JustinMemorial at gmail dot com.