ITA's Teach Abroad Film Festival 2019

Thank you to all 49 ITA alumni filmmakers who entered our 2019 Film festival and shared their experiences teaching English abroad! Thank you to all of our 12 finalists for truly inspiring us at the Davis Theater on April 4, 2019.

Congrats to Allyson D'Amico (Grand Prize Winner), Tim Unaegbu (2nd Prize Winner), and Jack Ross (3rd Prize Winner) for coming out on top.

Check out their amazing films below.

49

Films submitted
for our 2019 Edition

220+

Attendees at The Davis Theater
in Chicago, on April 4, 2019

$1804

Raised for The Foundation for
Learning & Youth Travel Education

Congrats To Our 2019 Film Festival Winners & Finalists

 

Allyson D'Amico

🥇First Prize Winner | Film: The Other Side

After earning a degree in Media and Communications from Sacred Heart University, Allyson spent two years working in production for a Talk-Show in Connecticut. Upon realizing she didn’t want to spend her early 20s stuck in an office all day she decided to leave her job and began taking her TEFL Certification with International TEFL Academy.

After completion, she moved to Hanoi, Vietnam and began her journey as an English teacher. Since then she has relocated to Ubud, Bali and is now teaching English online.

 

Tim Unaegbu

🥈Second Prize Winner | Film: Teach. Travel. Explore.

Originally from Port Coquitlam BC, Tim graduated from Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops BC, Canada with a Bachelors degree in Social work. With this, Tim went on to work for TRU as a student orientation coordinator, and in addition to working a full-time job, Tim volunteered 7 years of his time coaching high school boys basketball leading his team to a 2017 Provincial Championship with his fellow coaching staff. Two weeks after winning the 2017 Provincial Championship, Tim and his girlfriend Ashley relocated to South Korea to teach English in Geochang, South Korea at the high school and middle school level.

 

Jack Ross

🥉Third Prize Winner | Film: Thank You Vietnam

Jack Ross is an American photographer residing in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Born in the heart of the Midwest, two hours south of Chicago, and the youngest of seven children, Jack found his passion for photography early on in High School. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Jack spent six years working in various industries including marketing, logistics, and sales, providing a deep experience of understanding the internal needs of any business. In March of 2018, Jack spent six weeks in Hanoi, Vietnam where he completed his TEFL certification, and then moved to Ho Chi Minh City to teach.

Thank You Vietnam also won Goabroad.com's 2020 Innovative Student Video Award.

Take a Peek at Our 2019 Film Festival Night in Chicago!

Teach Abroad Film festival 2019
Teach Abroad Film Festival 2019 Winner
Davis Theater - Film Festival Marquee
Film Festival - ITA staff
Rotary
Film Festival - ITA Team
Film Festival Attendee
Film Festival Attendees
Film Festival Attendees

A Fun Event For a Good Cause

FLYTE

For our 2019 edition, all tickets proceeds were donated to The Foundation for Learning & Youth Travel Education (FLYTE).

FLYTE works to strengthen international education and supports youth empowerment in underserved communities within the USA.

We were able to raise $1804 USD!!

Thank you for helping us and FLYTE spread the magic of international education by attending the Teach Abroad Film Festival at the Davis Theater in Chicago on April 4, 2019.

Film Festival Press & Awards

Awards

The Teach Abroad Film Festival won an awardA Film Festival Finalist Wins Innovative Student Video at The GoAbroad.com's 2020 Awards

ITA alumnus Jack Ross' video, "Thank you Vietnam", which took home the 3rd Prize of ITA's inaugural Film Festival in 2019, also won GoAbroad.com's 2020 Innovative Student Video Award!

Watch: Jack's award-winning film, "Thank you Vietnam".

Thank You To Our 2019 Sponsors

Our 2019 Festival Partners