Film Festival Mission
The Festival Mission
To inspire high school students to think critically about important issues impacting their community, to mentor them to produce lifechanging media around those issues and to provide a stepping-stone for careers in media.
The Festival History
The festival was launched in 2006 with the theme: Stories of Undocumented People. The 2007 theme was Stories of High School Drop Outs. In its second year, the festival attracted over 50 submissions, collaborated with over 15 schools and community centers, and awarded 10 camcorders to the winners as judged by filmmakers, academics, film school deans, school board members and politicians.
The 2008 Youth Film Festival on Social Justice
The 2008 theme will be stories of urban housing, a broad subject that includes issues of homelessness, families struggling to pay the rent, overcrowded housing, evictions, cost of purchasing the American Dream, neighborhood crime, life in housing projects, slum lords, gentrification, etc.
Our goals for 2008 are to enhance the filmmaking students’ over all experience by:
- Providing mentors with curriculum on site (if necessary).
- Loaning equipment to make films.
- Quality film and media workshops on the day of the festival.
- More awards.
If you would like to learn how your school or community center can inspire youth to make life changing short films for the festival, please contact me: Jerold Kress Bresee Community Center jkress@bresee.org (213) 387-2822 x123
To sponsor this event please contact:
Athena Boulgarides,
Director of Development
Bresee Foundation
(213) 387-2822 x. 167
aboulgarides@bresee.org