REPORT FROM THE YOUTH FILM FESTIVAL ON SOCIAL JUSTICE 2009
About 200 student filmmakers, family members and staff from various schools and non-profits attended the 4th annual Youth Film Festival event held at our community center on Thursday, May 21. We first congregated in our ecology park for food, community and Son Jarocho music by L@s Cafeter@s. Screenings took place from 7:30-8:30 in three rooms at the community center and in a fourth room: Wiley Chapel at the adjacent church. Afterwards, everyone gathered in Wiley to hear inspired words from our keynote speaker Elise Buick, President, United Way Los Angeles.
Because of generous support from Americo Cascella, HBO, Jesse Bonderman and the Frances E. Williams' Artist Grants, we were able to award Flip camcorders to the top 25 vote getters as tallied from the judge’s ballots. The top three winners were given Hi Def versions of the Flip. The top three films were Hard Times for an Immigrant by Giovanni Martinez (from Bresee's Goals 4 Life Program), The American Dream by Mel Mel Mooring (of Sacramento), and Hollywood Homeless, by Jasmine Tatum (of the Covenant House in Hollywood). A visiting class of graduate students from Professor Jennifer McCormick's class at Cal State Los Angeles purchased flowers from Giovanni's grandmother (featured in his film) for the event.
A highlight from the festival
In a surprise twist at the end of the event, a gentleman in the audience offered to donate an extra 10 Flip cameras. I had mentioned from the stage that we had originally planned to give out 25 Flips but cut back to 15 because of budget cuts. His name is Jesse Bonderman, and because of his generosity nearly every agency and school that submitted a film this year won a Flip camera. Our goal remains that every film submitted wins an award.
TOP THREE FILMS
- American Dream - Mel Mel Mooring of Sacramento
- Hard Times For An Immigrant - Goals 4 Life, Bresee
- Hollywood Homeless - Digital Dove, Covenant House of Hollywood.
NEXT TWENTY-TWO WINNERS
- Hi I’m Nikko Nguyen - Center for Digital Storytelling (CDS)/S. Pasadena H.S.
- Dreams at Risk - Urban Oasis Film Academy
- Help Stop The Budget Cuts - CARECEN
- Through The Eyes of An Artist - CDS/La Canada H.S.
- Faster Than A Speeding Bullet - Digital Dove
- Life On The Streets - Computer Science Academy - Roybal Learning Center
- ehT naciremaA maerD - Echo Park Film Center
- Community Room Closed - Mercy Housing
- The American Dream - Bresee Community Center
- Economic Crisis - CSA - Roybal
- Different Voices - Eco Academy H.S.
- Lay Off - Sandra Hise's class at Downtown Magnets H.S.
- Economic Battle - CDS/Blair H.S.
- The Economy & Us - New Economics For Women
- Until Things Get Better - CDS/CIS Academy
- It Was All A Dream - Para Los Ninos
- The Meaning Of The Recession - CDS/Blair H.S.
- A Film by Lenny Gonzales - Center City Value H.S.
- Willie Wonka & the Spoiled Children - CDS/La Canada H.S.
- How The Economy Affects Our Favorite Teacher - Academic Leadership Community (ALC) @ MCLC
- New Country, New Job, No Money - ALC @ MCLC
- Face Down - Salesian Boys & Girls Club