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1st Youth Film Festival on Social Justice 2006
UNDOCUMENTED: PEOPLE WITHOUT PAPERS
Many of us who were born here in the United States are children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren of immigrants. Yet, unless we work in a school, community center or a profession that demands cheap labor, we may never think about the plight of modern day people who come to this country in search of a better life for themselves and their families. Many of these people that have crossed over our borders to raise their children, work, worship, and live amongst us today, live in our society without legal citizenship. Without these documents, these educated, law-abiding people face extraordinary challenges.
These young people and their families are often referred to as “illegal aliens” and yet they have not broken out of prison nor come from another planet. They are our friends, neighbors, clients, students and sometimes members of our immediate family. Undocumented people have increasingly become the targets of conservative politicians, fanatics and vigilantes who are looking for scapegoats. They are accused of using up our resources and not contributing to society despite facts to the contrary.
We are asking young people from all across Los Angeles to document the stories of the undocumented in their neighborhoods, communities and schools. It is the mission of this year’s Bresee Youth Film Festival to educate everyone in our communities – young and old – about the seriousness of the problems confronting the often faceless in our midst. back to top
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The 2nd Annual Youth Film Festival on Social Justice 2007
High School Drop Outs
“A new study found that barely half of Los Angeles Unified School District students receive their high school diploma, mirroring a Harvard University study a year ago that alarmed city officials and fueled debate over the district's effectiveness. LAUSD ranks 86th out of the nation's 100 largest school districts in its graduation rate, according to the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.” from the Pasadena-Star News.
In all of the recent conflict over control of LAUSD, has anyone asked you, the students, what you think? Has anyone given you a forum to voice your ideas and opinions? And yet all of the decisions being made in Sacramento and in L.A. City Hall directly impact you. This is your opportunity to speak out on an issue that vitally affects all of you.
Our community center will provide filmmaking instruction, videotape, an editing facility and equipment if necessary. However, it will be up to you to complete your film and submit it by the deadline, April 20, 2007. back to top
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The 3rd Annual Youth Film Festival on Social Justice 2007
HOME SWEET HOME: Stories of urban housing in the big city
The 2008 theme is about the struggle for decent urban housing. Urban housing is a broad subject that includes issues of homelessness, families struggling to pay the rent, over crowded living conditions, evictions, cost of purchasing a home, neighborhood crime, life in housing projects, slum lords, gentrification, unsafe neighborhoods, tenants’ rights, slumlords, rising cost of rents, neighborhood gentrification, foreclosures, life in the foster care system, your second home (such as a community center), rich vs. poor neighborhoods, downtown lofts, section 8 housing, back home in another country, broken families, and sending money home (to another country.
Your story of urban housing need not be a negative story. There are countless positive stories about life in the big city and perhaps you have one to tell. Your film can take any form but above all else it should tell a personal story about housing in the big city. back to top
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The 4th Annual Youth Film Festival on Social Justice 2009
Hard Times for American Dream: Personal Stories of Struggle
This is a general theme that addresses issues of how the economic downturn is affecting the lives of students, families and businesses in the community. We are looking for personal stories of struggle, how individuals and families are coping with the worsening economy. We are looking for personal stories and visions of the economic downturn, not the talking heads of experts.
Students might think of how the economy will affect their immediate future such as college plans, and their long term goals such as job prospects. Think about questions concerning where families can afford to live, will businesses in the community survive (some of which are owned by families), how is your high school being affected right now by the economy? The future is now and the economy is changing the lives of everyone in our community, mostly negatively.
It is time for young people to stand up and voice their concerns. And if you don’t have any concerns, then it’s time for you to start thinking about the very real consequences of the economy on your life. Make a film that will make a difference—that’s what we are here to help you accomplish. back to top