Southeastern student wins film festival award
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
by: Tonya Lowentritt
FILM FESTIVAL WINNER- Southeastern Louisiana University student Amanda Triay (right) of Denham Springs recently won a second-place 2018 Silver Remi Award at the WorldFest International Film and Video Festival in Houston. Triay won for her 10-minute documentary, “To Speak Again,” produced for the Southeastern Channel. The documentary tells the inspirational story of Hammond resident Benny Latino’s remarkable recovery of his speech after suffering a stroke. Triay wrote, produced, directed, shot and edited the documentary. At left is Southeastern Channel General Manager Rick Settoon.
HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University student Amanda Triay with the Southeastern
Channel earned a second-place international film award for her short documentary on
Hammond resident Benny Latino’s remarkable recovery of his speech after suffering
a stroke.
Triay of Denham Springs won a 2018 Silver Remi Award for her 10-minute documentary,
“To Speak Again,” at the 51st annual WorldFest International Film and Video Festival
in Houston. She won the award in the “College Student” division of the “Film and Video”
competition.
“The Remi is one of the most prestigious awards for young filmmakers - it’s where
all of the greats got their start!” said Triay.
As the longest-running film festival in North America, WorldFest has given the
first awards to filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ridley Scott, Oliver
Stone, the Coen Brothers and others.
Triay graduated from Southeastern in December of 2017 and was immediately hired
as a marketing producer at WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge where she writes, produces, directs,
shoots and edits commercials and promotional spots for the Creative Services Department.
“Without the Southeastern Channel, I would have never found a job doing what
I love!” Triay said. “I’m blessed to work at WAFB in Baton Rouge, and it’s thanks
to the Southeastern Channel that I even got this chance.”
Southeastern Channel General Manager Rick Settoon said “To Speak Again” chronicles
the desperate journey of Latino, a popular Hammond resident and longtime owner of
Kelly’s Bar, now named Benny’s Place. Latino suffered a stroke in 2012 and fell into
a coma for almost three days. As a result, he lost the ability to speak and understand
what others were saying, a condition commonly known as Aphasia.
At the suggestion of a North Oaks Hospital staff member, Latino’s family approached
Southeastern’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders for rehabilitation
services. Roxanne Stoehr, head of the department’s Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic,
immediately brought Latino to her Aphasia group.
For the next five years, Stoehr and her clinicians worked regularly with Latino,
providing support, education and therapy to enable him to regain his speech and language
skills.
“It’s a beautiful story that strikes close to home for many people,” Triay said.
“I was honored to be able to produce such a story of overcoming tragedy. It’s a story
about never giving up, which speaks to everyone.”
The 2018 Silver Remi is just the latest in a string of national and regional
awards for Triay’s “To Speak Again.” It recently won first place for “Documentary”
at the Louisiana-Mississippi Associated Press College Broadcasters Awards in New Orleans.
Earlier this spring the documentary was chosen by the Society of Professional
Journalists over all collegiate entries from Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and
Tennessee for a first-place Mark of Excellence Award for “Television In-Depth Reporting”
at the SPJ’s Region 12 Convention in Little Rock, Ark.
Also last year while at the Southeastern Channel, Triay was honored by the National
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and its Suncoast Region Emmys with a Student
Production Award for her short film, “Insomniac.”
The Southeastern Channel students have now won nearly 400 awards in the past
15 years, including 17 awards from the Emmys. The Channel can be seen on Charter Spectrum
199 in Tangipahoa, St. Helena and Livingston Parishes. The live 24/7 webcast and video
on demand can be seen at thesoutheasternchannel.com.