Come and celebrate this year's Young Media Makers at the Big Screen Showcase Saturday and you will be astonished by the professionalism of the narrative movies and animation.

The digital media festival is from the Ask Me Program by The Ink People Center for the Arts.

It will be presented free of charge.

Movie entries are submitted over the Internet by children, teens and young adults from all over. The event in the past has brought stellar stories from as far away as Hilo High School in Hawaii, and The Bay area Video Coalition.

The competition is designed to hone the communication skills of young people ages 8 to 22 who are interested in media.

Rewards for those best in their category will be provided from, but are top secret until the day of the event. Door prizes will be donated by The Vision Center.

During the two-hour event there will also be a presentation offered by digital media and Film Bureau representative Mary Cruse.

Other presentations include one from one of the junior division animators Nate Vanella of Fruity Tuity productions and Ryan Dominick Roney, a senior division producer working with Super 8 and digital video.

This year's technical awards go to Fortuna Union High School teacher Errin O'Dell, FUHS senior Derek Howard, and hostGIS Doug Renwick for technical support; web design and web hosting of the event website, www.theyoungmediamakers.org .

So if you're a young filmmaker or digital media enthusiast Saturday at the College of the Redwoods' Forum Theatre will be the venue to be to see some great digital movies.

They'll surely bring some laughs, and maybe even some tears.