Bellevue teen directs award-winning film

Hollywood’s next Coen brothers, or at least brother, may come from Bellevue.

Ben Kadie, an Interlake High school sophomore, may only be 15-years-old. But he’s already well on his way to making his dream of film directing a reality.

Kadie’s film, “Sparks in the Night” is being shown at ART.WRITE.NOW, the first-ever traveling exhibition of select works of the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The event is free and open to the public at Seattle Art Museum (SAM) from now until April 24 during regular museum hours.

This touring exhibition presents some of the most stunning examples of teen-produced work in the nation. SAM will display more than 100 pieces of art and writing representing a small sample of the national exhibition which, in 2010, showcased more than 600 works from teens in grades seven through 12 hailing from 45 states and six countries.

“Getting young people involved in the arts is very important and we are very proud to be a part of such an amazing show with the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers,” said SAM director Derrick Cartwright.

The exhibition arrives in Seattle after stops at the Half Price Books in Dallas, Texas, and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The show will travel next to the Kantor Gallery in Los Angeles and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia before returning to New York City in September.

Kadie’s film, “Sparks in the Night,” was already shown in the National Film Festival for Talented Youth. Go to http://bit.ly/KadieFilm to watch it.