Oscars Picks 2013: Can You Beat Linn-Mar's Film Buff?

With the Oscars tonight, we thought it would be fun to ponder whether we may have anyone here in Marion who could leave their mark on the film landscape.

The first person to come to mind is Sam Fathallah, a 17-year-old from Marion. Sam is only a junior at Linn-Mar, but he has an expanding resume of projects, which includes a second place finish in an Iowa Renewable Fuels Association contest for his video titled "What is Biodiesel?"

Meet Sam and see what he's done, and below is a sample from a story we wrote about him last spring.

Where do you plan to go to college?

I'm not quite sure yet, it'll probably be in state.

What do you hope to study or major in?

As much as I love making videos, I'll probably end up studying something more stable like engineering or medicine.

What do you hope to do for a living?

I'm really not sure yet. I hope to one day make money off of something I truly enjoy doing, and always have something to do on the side as a creative outlet.

How did you get into film making?

My family had a little camcorder and I used to tape all kinds of things and play around with them in the editor. My sisters and I would film little home movies. That grew into more concept driven work when I got into middle school. I created videos to promote a blog that my friends and I ran for two years. After that ended, I started making them for fun in high-school.

What film or films that you've made are you most proud of and why?

(Editor's note: These videos are attached to this article)

I really enjoyed making a film called Youth because I tried to convey the feeling of the free-spiritedness of children and I find it a more abstract, experimental film with an original idea behind it. I also loved making Graduation, which documents my sister's high-school graduation. The film flips back and forth from flashback to present day which gives an interesting effect. Lastly, the whiteboard video series which includes Love and Dream are a lot of fun because of the immense amount of people who are involved, I like collaborating with classmates on that kind of a scale.

What's your ambition as a filmmaker?

I hope to either find a way to make it into a serious career, or keep it as a hobby on the side. I think it could possibly be an applicable skill in most careers.

Do you have a mentor, role model or someone you that inspires your work?

There's an indie filmmaker in New York named Casey Neistat and he makes little films with very limited resources that are beautifully creative and thoughtful. I really love his straight forward, off the cusp style of filmmaking. He can make anything look interesting.

What are your picks for the Oscars?

Best picture: Argo

Best actor: Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables

Best actress: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Best supporting actress: Sally Field, Lincoln

Best supporting actor: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Best director: Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Here's about Sam from a story that first appeared last June:

In sixth grade, Sam Fathallah created a webpage to post amusing pictures with his friends. 

A year later they posted a picture of an obese child in a wheel barrel under a McDonald's logo. Google displayed it as a top image referral for the word “funny” and their small site grew and attracted more than 1 million readers quickly.

Since then Fathallah, who is now a 16-year-old junior at Linn-Mar High School this fall, has earned a reputation school-wide for his new obsession: Creating professional grade, award-winning videos about anything that fascinates him.

He’s been recording video for years and he’s completely self-taught. 

"I really don’t stick to filmmaking rules. I don’t like the constraint," he said. "I just pick up the camera."

His YouTube handle is ThePanicButtonBlog.

Read more:

Linn-Mar Student Gains Following as Award-Winning Videographer