Preston H. Burger from Massapequa Park was recently named a national finalist in the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) Arts Recognition and Talent Search (ARTS) program. Burger was selected from over 7,000 applicants nationwide and is now among 100 national finalists who have been judged as exceptionally talented in the performing, literary or visual arts.

"I was incredibly excited to find out I was a finalist," said Burger, a filmmaker, after learning his portfolio of film work had earned him an all expenses paid trip to Miami, Fla. for a special week of master classes, workshops, auditions and showcase performances during Jan. 8-12. During these events, panels of professional artists and arts educators will evaluate the young artists for unrestricted ARTS cash awards and a chance to be named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts.

The winning portfolio consisted of one full film work and a few short clips of other films, all researched, written, shot and edited by Burger. Over the past five years, he has completed four short historical documentaries, three of them dealing with different aspects of African American History, a subject in which he has a strong interest.

"Each film takes me a year to research and produce," Burger explained. "I use the National Archives in Washington D.C., the Internet, and the Massapequa Library, which has been incredibly helpful. They always get a 'thank you' in the credits."

Interviews with people involved in the subjects he is researching are also an exciting part of the process, Burger said. "For my film, "Coloring the Silver Screen," I had the opportunity to do a lengthy interview with the first female African American talent agent in Hollywood."

Burger began his filmmaking "career" at age 9. In true Spielberg fashion, he directed his first film, The Sleeping Bag, a quirky three-minute horror-comedy about a man-eating sleeping bag. It got two thumbs up from his family and friends, which in turn inspired Burger to make a fifteen-minute science fiction comedy with his older brother and some friends.

"This was an entirely collaborative effort," Burger said. "Everyone had a hand in the production of it. We were even able to include some cheesy special effects." Feeling confident, he sent this film, Clon(e)ing Around, to several film festivals and, to his surprise, it won a few awards.

In junior high school, his filmmaking skills were further challenged when he decided to compete in a nationwide history contest known as National History Day (NHD). "I needed to research, write and produce a ten-minute historical documentary," he explained. "Now, instead of making up my own story, I had to tell one based on facts." Burger's first documentary, which he completed over the course of a year, opened up an entirely new world to him, as he discovered he loved the research end of the process as much as filmmaking. He made it past the local and state levels of the competition and moved on to the finals in Washington D.C., ending up as a national finalist in the contest.

Over the next three years, Burger produced three more historical documentaries, two of which won national titles in NHD. "Having already submitted my earlier narrative film to film festivals, I decided to try my luck with documentaries," Burger explained. "They did very well."

Aside from winning several awards, many of the international festivals requested the use of his films in their community outreach programs. Burger was thrilled that his films were now being viewed as teaching tools for elementary school students.

One of his most exciting experiences was when the Chicago Children's International Film Festival flew Burger and his father to the festival, with the understanding that Burger was to be a speaker there. "You can imagine my shock," Burger said, "when my name was called at the awards ceremony and I received the first ever Montgomery Award for Promising Young Filmmaker ($2,500)."

But the "coolest" thing, according to Burger, was getting to meet Harold Ramis, the director of the movie Ghostbusters.

As a college high school senior, Burger recently reached another goal of his, early admission acceptance to Princeton University. After college, he hopes to attend graduate school to pursue a degree in filmmaking. "I feel that by studying history first, I will have the background and insight to help me become a more knowledgeable, well-rounded and more successful documentary filmmaker."

NFAA is the exclusive nominating organization to the Commission on Presidential Scholars and nominates up to 50 of the ARTS finalists to become Presidential Scholars in the Arts. Ultimately, 20 young artists will be named Presidential Scholars in the Arts and will travel to Washington D.C. in June 2003 for National Recognition Week. The week includes a White House sponsored medallion ceremony and the opportunity to have works displayed in a Washington D.C. area museum.

"As a filmmaker, I hope to be able to educate others about the important issues in a format that I feel can be both inspiring and entertaining," Burger said.