Media Arts Students Selected for 2025 Twin Cities Youth Media Showcase

April 10, 2025

Work by Media Arts students was selected for the 2025 Youth Media Showcase. Short films and videos by Milo Crane (Media Arts 2026), Sebastian Marquez (Media Arts 2026), Margot McCabe (Media Arts 2025), and Thomas Thro (Media Arts 2025) were shown on April 6th, 2025. The showcase was part of the 44th Annual Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival.

Perpich student short films:

Milo Crane (Media Arts 2026) speaks to the audience with Khalid Ali, Media Arts Instructor (left), and Deb Girdwood, Programmer for Youth and Family Programs (right), at the 2025 Youth Media Showcase.

Where’d Johnny Go? by Milo Crane – A music video about the misadventures of a bounty hunter named Johnny.

Grandiose Abstractus by Sebastian Marquez – Experimentation with abstract graphics, cinematography, and music.

Sk8 by Margot McCabe – The story of a teen and her love for her local skate park.

Blankspace by Thomas Thro – Finding a Playstation in the woods brings a man to an entire new reality.

Khalid Ali, Media Arts Instructor, said, “The Youth Media Showcase is a wonderful opportunity to see student work from around the Twin Cities. It’s refreshing to see the wide range of voices and approaches to the medium.”

The short films and videos by Perpich students were part of a select group of fourteen films chosen for the showcase. Presented in partnership with the Twin Cities Youth Media Network, this shorts program represents young artists involved with In Progress, MIGIZI, Perpich Center for Arts Education, Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN), SPEAK MPLS, Studio Thirteen at FilmNorth, and other youth media arts programs. The screening was followed by a reception with opportunities for students to meet peers and mentors interested in film and to learn more about local media arts resources. This year was the 25th anniversary of the Twin Cities Youth Media Network.

The Twin Cities Youth Media Network is a community of youth-serving organizations and mentors fostering impactful creative development opportunities for youth to amplify narratives through media. The 44th Annual Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival is April 2-13 at The Main Cinema and other venues around the Twin Cities. As the largest annual celebration of international cinema in the region, MSPIFF44 promises an exciting lineup of 200+ films from around the world, plus an array of parties, panels, visiting filmmakers, and special guests.