Teen actor Dusan Brown receives the 2020 U.S. Presidential Scholar for directing and writing
Teen director, writer, actor and honor roll student, Dusan Brown, has been named one of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Scholars. The award was announced by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Brown, to be celebrated in the Arts. Brown is a rising, talented director, writer, actor, and recent high school graduate from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts this week. LACHSA, the nation’s #1 public arts high school, has brought to us such famous alumnae as Jenna Elfman, Marla Sokoloff, Josh Groban, Terran Killam, Zoey Deutch and Anthony Anderson.
Brown is one of 161 outstanding American high school seniors who the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars believed to have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, artistic excellence, technical expertise, leadership, citizenship, service, and contribution to school and community. Of the 3.6 million students expected to graduate from high school this year, more than 5,300 candidates qualified for the 2020 awards. Brown chose Drew McClellan, LACHSA’s Cinematic Arts Department Chair, for the Distinguished Teacher recognition. The Presidential Scholars Class of 2020 will be recognized for their outstanding achievement this summer, as public health circumstances permit.
Brown’s short film, REECE, where he served as writer, director, co-DP, editor, colorist and is featured in, was originally created as a submission for his high school’s annual Moondance Film Festival. To date, this project has allowed him to become a 2020 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program Winner, a 2020 National YoungArts Foundation Winner, as well as a Gold Level YoungArts Winner, $10,000 – which is presented to as few as five and as many as 13 winners over the past several years. In addition, over the past year, Reece won five film festivals: Winner Best Short Film at WILDsound DIVERSITY Film Festival, Winner Best Student Film at Alexander Valley Student Showcase, Winner Best Film – Spark Award at All American H.S. Film Fest, Winner Best Student Film at Indie Short Fest, and Winner Best Cinematography at Moondance Film Festival. Since July 2019, Reece received 14 nominations and was officially selected into 13 festivals such as Sacramento International Film Festival, Westflix Film Fest, Baltimore Black International Film Fest, San Diego International Kids’ Film Fest, LA Shorts International Film Fest and San Francisco Frozen International Film Fest, to name a few.
The excitements in Brown’s life continue to grow. Brown can next be seen in a strong supporting role in the upcoming Netflix movie Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman. In addition, Brown committed to one of the country’s top ranked film schools, Chapman University, where he will pursue his BFA in Film Production with a concentration on directing and writing.
Brown has written several features with plans to film his first one summer 2021. His newest shorts, Cereal and Trash, will both debut via LACHSA’s 1st Virtual Film Festival. In addition, Brown’s award-winning, 10 minute film, REECE, will debut June 10th via www.DusanBrown.net.
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