Hosted by The Sunset Project, the second annual competition featured five films from across the Great Lakes Region.
Photo Courtesy of Will Meinzinger. Nick Poli and Gavin MacDonald of The Sunset Project present the $5,000 grand prize to filmmakers Yvonne Drebert and Zach Melnick for their film "All Too Clear: A Journey Into The Great Lakes."
Original Article by Darby Hinkley for The Alpena News
Publish Date January 27, 2025
Full Article Here
Alpena, Michigan | Earlier this month, The Sunset Project hosted its second annual Sanctuary Selections Film Competition Screening Event in partnership with the Thunder Bay International Film Festival held at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena, Michigan.
With over 100 attendees, the evening featured a pre-screening reception, individual screenings of each of the five film finalists, engaging audience-driven Q&A sessions with each of the filmmakers, and an awards ceremony to highlight this year’s Sanctuary Selections winning film.
This year's winning film was "All Too Clear: A Journey Into The Great Lakes" by Yvonne Drebert and Zach Melnick of Inspired Planet Productions, who were awarded the $5,000 grand prize to help fund their future film projects.
"All Too Clear" The Ontario couple used cutting-edge underwater drones to explore how quadrillions of tiny invasive quagga mussels have entered the Great Lakes and are re-engineering the ecosystem at a scale not seen since the glaciers. The quagga mussels are affecting the food supply of Great Lakes fish, as well as attaching to and covering shipwrecks in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Photo Courtesy of Will Meinzinger. Attendees gather in Theatre One at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center prior to the competition's start.
Drebert and Melnick shared a bit about the importance of their film and what it means to take away the night's top prize.
“It feels awesome, and I think what it means to us as Canadian filmmakers is that this will help get the word out to our U.S. neighbors about our work and the huge changes that have been happening out there in the offshore waters of the Great Lakes,” Melnick said.
“A lot of our shooting days were here in Michigan, so it feels pretty amazing to be welcomed into the community, here in Alpena, and to be sharing this moment with the people of Michigan,” Drebert said.
In addition to the winning film, The Sunset Project honored the contributions of the four other outstanding filmmakers, awarding each a $500 prize in recognition of their involvement with this year's competition.
Special thank you to all the participants, attendees, sponsors, and supporters who made this event a success – stay tuned for more details on the 2026 Sanctuary Selections Film Competition and Thunder Bay International Film Festival!
To read the full Alpena News article, please visit thealpenanews.com/life/2025/01/sanctuary-selections-student-shorts-winners-announced/
Photo Courtesy of Will Meinzinger. Filmmakers gather for a photo at the conclusion of the Sanctuary Selections Film Competition Pictured from left: Evan Flom, Zach Melnick, Yvonne Drebert, Charley MacIntosh, Eric Machiela, Rishi Sethi, and Darryn Schulte.
This project is proudly supported in part by the Michigan Arts & Culture
Council and Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Sunset Project's Gold Level Sponsors
Alpena Marc LLC
Werth Electric
Wolverine State Credit Union
Stanson Floor Covering & Furniture
MyMichigan Health