2025 ArtHouse Artist of the Year Showcase
At FilmingLife®, one of the things we love most is watching our members bring personal films to life—films that truly matter to them. It’s clear how much passion goes into these creations, yet with the demands of learning, running a business, and everyday life, personal projects often take a back seat.
In 2021, we introduced something entirely new to the FilmingLife® Academy—a program designed to enhance our existing courses while challenging our members to explore new creative techniques and elevate their filmmaking.
More than that, we wanted to give them a reason to pick up their cameras purely for themselves, to create meaningful projects that would stand the test of time.
And that’s how the ArtHouse Film Projects came to be!
Each new project is designed to build on the last and equip members with a full tool box of skills & techniques that they can then utilise and implement in both their personal and client work.
The ArtHouse in 2025 featured 4 themes, BLACK & WHITE, THIS IS ME, VOICE & PERSPECTIVES . Our members exceeded all expectations with the films they created and boy did they blow us away with not only the quality of their films, but how they applied the things they were learning and used those skills to create films that just got better and better.
We applaud all of our members who participated in the ArtHouse Film Projects in 2025, whether they created one film or all four. And we want to take a moment to celebrate those members who completed to a high standard and took out the Educator’s Choice Awards and Honourable Mentions.
To celebrate our member’s achievements we’d like to present to you our ArtHouse Film Projects 2025 Showcase and our 2025 ArtHouse Artist of the Year….
ArtHouse Artist of the Year
Julia Xanthos Liddy
Completed 4 films and took out 3 Educator’s Choice Awards
Julia is a long-time member of FilmingLife® Academy and it has been an absolute joy to see her film work grow & evolve over the years. In 2025 Julia made a commitment to create a film for every ArtHouse film and use them as an opportunity really hone her skills & filmmaking voice. That hard-work & dedication has paid off to see Julia crowned our 2025 ArtHouse Artist of the Year with a record-equalling 3 Educator’s Choice Award winning films!
Congratulations, Julia, we’re so proud of you!
You can view Julia'’s award-winning films below and follow her on Instagram @juliaxanthosliddy
What Kylie said about Julia’s award winning BLACK & WHITE film -
”Julia absolutely nailed this film. Through the use of voiceover, perfect song choice, and the choice of when to use black & white & when to retain colour, Julia has created a film with so. much. feeling! An exploration of grief and the way we process it, a celebration of the importance of place and how are houses are not just boxes where we live, but containers for all of the love & light, sadness & shadows that fill our lives. I’d love this film, Julia, thank you for sharing it with us.”
BELOW: Julia’s Educator’s Choice Award winning film for the theme BLACK & WHITE
What Lindsey said about Julia’s award winning VOICE film -
”Julia’s submission was a masterpiece in brand storytelling. Using the owners voice, asking questions that pulled out so much emotion, and expertly weaving this story together with the exactly correct pacing and clip placement over the audio made this piece shine.”
BELOW: Julia’s Educator’s Choice Award winning film for the theme VOICE
What MELISSA said about Julia’s award winning PERSPECTIVES film -
”This film starts with Julia highlighting her family's dynamic and you think you're about to watch a light hearted family video reel and then it shifts into some discomfort when her mom doesn't want to be filmed. But then magic happens, and Julia's words paired with peeling back the outer layers to really see who her mom is as a person and not just a mom, completely changed her perspective and as a result mine, which left me in tears. Well done!”
BELOW: Julia’s Educator’s Choice Award winning film for the theme PERSPECTIVES
RIGHT: Julia’s submission for the theme THIS IS ME
1st Runner-Up, ArtHouse Artist of the Year
Kristine Esposito
Completed 4 films and took out 1 Educator’s Choice Award and 1 Honourable Mention
You can view Kristine’s award-winning films below and find her on Instagram @kristine_esposito_photography
What Lindsey said about Kristine’s award winning VOICE film -
”I chose Kristine’s film because it took such intention to put together this personal film. She had to dig deep to find the memories and write one of her own legacy stories for her family, and then source and film footage to make sure that the story would visually work as well. It was so well put together and now the story of her special heirloom is persevered for her entire family. It made me weep and truly feel her love for her great grandmother.”
BELOW: Kristine’s Educator’s Choice Award winning film for the theme VOICE
BELOW: Kristine’s Honourable Mention Award winning film for the theme BLACK & WHITE
BELOW: Kristine’s submission for the theme THIS IS ME
BELOW: Kristine’s submission for the theme PERSPECTIVES
2nd Runner-Up, ArtHouse Artist of the Year
Paige Gotts
Completed 3 films and took out an Educator’s Choice Award
You can view Paige’s award-winning film below and find her on Instagram @paigegotts.photosandfilms
What Laura said about Paige’s award winning THIS IS ME film -
”Your film moved me deeply. It didn’t just show your work—it revealed your heart. The way you wove together your childhood, motherhood, and grief was tender and powerful. I could feel your “why” in every frame. The story about your dad, paired with that old footage, was especially moving—it anchored the whole piece in something so real and lasting. You reminded me how sacred the ordinary can be.
This film is a gift—not just to the families you serve, but to anyone who watches it. Thank you for sharing it with such honesty and care.”
BELOW: Paige’s Educator’s Choice Award winning film for the theme THIS IS ME
BELOW: Paige’s submission for the theme BLACK & WHITE
BELOW: Paige’s submission for the theme PERSPECTIVES
3rd Runner-Up, ArtHouse Artist of the Year
Emily Halifax
Completed 2 films and took out 2 Honourable Mentions
You can view Emily’s award-winning films below and find her on Instagram @infinitelegacyfilmsandphotos
BELOW: Emily’s Honourable Mention Award winning film for the theme THIS IS ME
BELOW: Emily’s Honourable Mention Award winning film for the theme VOICE
ArtHouse Artist of the Year - Honourable Mentions
The ArtHouse Film Projects produced some of the best work we’ve seen come out of the FilmingLife® community. There were many Educator’s Choice Award Winners and Honourable mentions for each theme of the project, and they all deserve recognition for their creativity, storytelling and dedication to the craft of family filmmaking and dedication to their work.
Brianna Nguyen
Follow Brianna on Instagram
@briannanguyenfilmsandphotos
What Laura said about Brianna’s film -
”You took me on such a beautiful journey. I loved the way you wove together stories from your parents, your own life, and your children—it felt like watching a legacy unfold. The old footage was so powerful, and the non-linear storytelling held so much meaning. This is a film your children will return to again and again, each time seeing new layers and feeling just how loved they are. You created something full of grace, reflection, and love.”
RIGHT: Brianna’s Educator’s Choice Award winning film for the theme THIS IS ME
Michelle Hughes
Follow Michelle on Instagram @michelle_ann_photography
RIGHT: Michelle’s Honourable Mention Award winning film for the theme BLACK & WHITE
Laura Duffy
Follow Laura on Instagram @mrslaurduffy
RIGHT: Laura’s Honourable Mention Award winning film for the theme PERSPECTIVES
