By GABRIELLA BOCK | Reporter
At only 16 years old, Palisadian Jack Nordstrom is already an award-winning filmmaker.
The Palisades Charter High School sophomore’s latest short-film, “Puget Sound,” recently took home nine awards from this year’s independent film festival circuit—a feat that’s sure to pave the budding filmmaker’s career path with nothing but promise.
A film-within-a-film, Nordstrom’s award-winning movie follows a group of high school students as they spend their summer vacation making their own super-8 horror movie.
Inspired by filmmaker Wes Anderson, Nordstrom told the Palisadian-Post that he aspired to make a cinematically beautiful film that possessed a whimsical feeling of childlike wonder.
“My family has been spending summers in Seattle since before I could talk,” Nordstrom told the Post. “This film pays tribute to all the wonderful childhood memories I made over the years.”
Shot over his family’s annual trip to Puget Sound, Nordstrom took advantage of the area’s natural scenery and outdated, wood-paneled quirk to give his film a convincing 1980s backdrop.
“I chose to set my movie in the 1980s because I love the aesthetic vibe of that era,” Nordstrom explained. “Many of the props that your see in my movie—the super-8 camera and the old film reels—were items that belonged to my dad. So it’s pretty cool that I was able to revive a part of his own youth as well.”
The student filmmaker’s extensive list of accolades includes a best in show, two audience awards, nods for highest production value and a grand jury award.
“Even after the fact, it’s still hard to believe that my film was even accepted to a festival, let alone being liked enough to win,” Nordstrom said. “Watching an audience watch my film for the first time was truly nerve-wracking.”
But when the lights went on, Nordstrom was able to sigh a breath of relief as his film received ovations from each new audience.
“It all felt so surreal and just amazing overall,” he said. “I feel truly fortunate to have parents who have supported me throughout this entire process.”
With summer break just around the bend, Nordstrom is already off to work conceptualizing his next project—and apparently, he’s not the only talented Nordstrom child.
“My older sister Claire is a talented singer-songwriter,” Nordstrom said. “I’d like her, my younger brother, Will, and I to work together on a film that explores our relationship through music.
With two years of high school still to go, Nordstrom plans on racking up a few more student awards before continuing on to Sundance..
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.