On August 12, twenty-five youth from around the world said good-bye in a big way: by hosting an international youth film festival and an "Open Screen" at the Harold Washington Cultural Center, 4701 S. King Drive.

On the final night of Facets' second annual MediaBridge youth filmmaking program, the MediaBridge Youth Festival announced its official winners for Best Feature Film, Best Live Action Short, and Best Animated Short.

The MediaBridge jury, composed of 14 international youth ambassadors from eight countries in collaboration with 11 Illinois teens, chose winners from a slate of 60 films from over 20 countries.

The 2007 MediaBridge Youth Festival Winners are:

Best Feature Film: Vanaja (India, 2006), helmed by first-time director Rajnesh Domalpalli. As class prejudice prevails, a young girl fights social inequality to pursue her love of dance.

Best Live Action Short: Childhood Scars (Germany, 2006), directed by Adam Schmidt. After spending her youth in an orphanage, a brave teenager decides to face the world alone while trying to find the mother she has never known.

Best Animated Short: Lavatory Lovestory (Russian Federation, 2007), directed by Konstantin Bronzit. One fateful night, a restroom attendant finds love where she least expects it.

"Selecting our winners was an extraordinary process because we were like a huge family with everyone coming from different countries, so our perspectives were very different," says 18-year-old MediaBridge participant Dara Khader of Palestine. "The jury didn't always agree, but the films we chose all had special qualities that transcended our differences and enhanced our understanding," adds 17-year-old Nenad Tesla of Serbia.

The MediaBridge Youth Festival was held August 11-12 at Facets Multi-Media (1517 W. Fullerton Ave.), and Harold Washington Cultural Center (47th and King Drive).