Fans of Tim Burton, Michel Gondry, Charlie Kaufman or Jean-Pierre Jeunet may soon have another favorite filmmaker — aspiring film director and creator Holden Brown.

Brown is one of only 20 students in the country selected as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts.

“To be one of 20 in the country is pretty unbelievable. It’s really a dream come true, and I could not have received a higher honor,” Brown said.

HOLDEN

Brown graduated from Fontainebleau High School and the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts. He plans to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore and has received numerous scholarships from the school.

“Without the scholarships, I would never have been able to attend such a prestigious arts school, the oldest arts school in the country,” he said.

He enjoys making films that employ a magical realism and existentialism and uses film to explore the human condition.

“I want people to gain something from watching one of my films. I’m interested more in the artistic/cerebral aspects of filmmaking than the commercial-Hollywood aspect,” Brown said.

In Washington, his films will be screened at the Smithsonian. They have already been screened in New York and Miami.

Brown is the only recipient of the Cinematic Arts Presidential Scholar this year and is the only recipient from Louisiana. The program is part of the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, and the award is the highest honor in the country bestowed on pre-professional high school art students. As their guest in Washington, he will meet with elected officials and accomplished professionals as well as authors, musicians, educators and scientists.

Getting to Washington has been a year-long process.

The National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts begins with over 8,000 applicants to its Young Arts program. The top 150 are selected to participate in Young Arts week in Miami, where they receive an all-expenses-paid week of master classes, showcase performances, exhibitions, interdisciplinary activities, enrichment programs, interviews and the final auditions.

Brown said he met a lot of talented young artists and benefited greatly from the mentoring and coursework available in Miami.

The competition then narrowed to about 50 students receiving gold and silver awards. These students showcased their talents in New York in April.

The 20 finalists will entertain guests and be recognized at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. “Many of the friends I have made through the Presidential Scholars Program will be in Washington and are planning to attend MICA as well. I’m looking forward to both,” he said.

Brown’s role models for his genre are the above-mentioned quartet of cinematic artists. While he admires their work, he definitely sees a future for himself in the independent film industry.

He has already garnered first-place awards in the student categories of the Louisiana Film Festival, first-place at the Nunez Film Festival and Best Student Filmmaker at the Ozone Film Festival.

NOCCA interim president and CEO Kyle Wedberg said having Brown recognized is a testament to his talent and hard work.

“(Brown) is an outstanding example of the new generation of talented artists here that will continue to maintain and grow our vibrant cultural economy,” he said.

Media arts chair Paul Werner said simply, “He is one of the finest filmmakers I have ever taught.”

To view some of Brown’s films, visit online at www.youtube.com/holdenb.