Bellevue College film instructor Michael Korolenko has won an Accolade Award of Merit for his short film “Of Yesterday and Tomorrow.”

Korolenko, an Issaquah resident, directed and co-produced the film, which was released in 2008.

Written by Korolenko and college friend Leslie Evers, and based on an original story by Korolenko and Wade Chitwood, the film tells the story of a young woman from 1967 who is transported to the year 2007, where she meets her own granddaughter. She is then able to travel back to 1967 to change her own future and that of her family.

“It’s been likened to a modern-day Twilight Zone,” Korolenko said.

Nearly the entire production crew for the film was made up of Bellevue College graduates, students and faculty.

The film’s Associate Producer and Casting Director Denise Gibbs said the film students are given a real shot at learning what film making is like.

“You can learn all the technical stuff and theory in school, but in film making it’s really the hands-on experience that’s so vital to becoming successful in the industry,” she said.

The experience on set also allows students to narrow down their focus, Gibbs said. Some may excel in set design, or working with props, or lighting and music. Either way, it’s impossible for students to know what they like until they’ve received some experience.

Korolenko said he is a teacher first and foremost, so he wanted to make sure his project was beneficial for the school as well.

The international Accolade Competition, self-described as “a showcase for cinematic gems,” is known for honoring filmmakers, television producers, videographers and new media creators who produce fresh, standout entertainment.

Korolenko said the award is judged by his peers, others working in film. Being given the nod by fellow filmmakers as an endorsement of his work made the honor of even better for Korolenko.

“It was good for us; it was good for the film program,” he said.

The film can be viewed on DVD at the Library Media Center.

In addition to producing, directing and writing numerous other films and documentaries, Korolenko is the author of three textbooks: The Digital Futurama, (Kendall Hunt, 2008), Digital Design and Storytelling (Prentice Hall, 2006), and Writing for Multimedia (Prentice Hall, 1997).

Korolenko hopes his project will help bring more attention to Bellevue College’s film program. He said the program has gone under the radar for years, but more and more people in the film industry are getting involved. This is helping students get their foot in the door in an industry that places high value on connections.

“The teachers are people who work in film and then get students involved in internships,” Korolenko said.