Fort St. John woman wins ‘best cinematography’ award

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A Fort St. John native is gaining recognition after winning a ‘best cinematography’ award at a university film festival.

Gabby Yuen won the award alongside her film partner, Andrew Roidgare, at Trinity Western University (TWU)’s Cinergy Film Festival for their short film Void, which explores the topic of mental health. 

The annual festival highlights the creative work of emerging filmmakers at TWU.

“I love filmmaking because it allows me to take a dream I have and make a visual expression of it,” Yuen said after receiving the award. 

“Through this medium, I can create a picture that has the potential to inspire and uplift humanity.”

While Yuen now lives in Langley, where she’s entering her second year of studies at TWU, she told Energeticcity.ca her Fort St. John roots have been instrumental in shaping who she is as a filmmaker and storyteller.

“I think [my] Fort St. John roots have shaped the work I do in filmmaking now because I learned, from people in the community, to work hard, diligently and excellently,” Yuen said. 

“People in Fort St. John have also inspired me to dream big and to be a good steward in what I have been gifted in, which is a part of my drive in filmmaking.”

Yuen said she spent around a decade heavily involved with the community before moving to Langley last fall for university. 

She told Energeticcity she volunteered with the Salvation Army’s Christmas kettle drive for 10 years, worked with The Groove dance ministry as a teacher and performer and co-led a four-year summer soccer initiative that grew to include dozens of local families. 

Yuen also said she helped organize One King, a city-wide youth event, and regularly volunteered with Evangel Downtown on projects like last summer’s community clothing drive.

“I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with so many different groups,” she said.

 “[This has propelled] me into desiring to share more stories, through the medium of film, to help the world gain more and new perspectives.”

Yuen credited her professors, especially Cinergy founder Dr. Ned Vankevich, for pushing her to grow as both a filmmaker and an individual. 

“Dr. Vankevich made it clear from the beginning that he was going to push and encourage us to make the best film possible,” she said. 

“Not only did he address the mechanics and theory of film, but he also taught us to have growth mindsets to prepare us for life after university. It’s obvious that he really cares about each of his students.”

The award ceremony, held in April, can be watched on YouTube.