ARTICLES: Four Haitian filmmakers explore conditions for children two years after the quake

By Mariana Palavra

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 12 January 2012 – UNICEF challenged young Haitian filmmakers to reveal how they view their country – and its conditions for children – two years after the January 2010 earthquake.

“This film project is all about listening to the Haitian voice and understanding children's lives,” said Thomas Nybo, coordinator of the project. “We issued a call for short-film proposals, either fiction or documentaries, and we chose four filmmakers, three of whom are from Cine Institute” – Haiti’s only film school, located in the Southern city of Jacmel.

The short films feature some of the biggest challenges facing Haiti’s children: losing parents to the earthquake; the plight of a girl working as a restavek, a domestic servant; and the challenges, especially economic, confronting families when they send their children to school.

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NEWS: Young Bradford film-makers document city's social issues (UK)

Young film-makers from disadvantaged communities have made documentaries exploring social issues such as drugs, alcohol and unemployment, as part of a Bradford City of Film-funded project.

The films will be screened next week at a ceremony marking the youngsters’ achievements.

The young people, aged 14 to 19, completed film-making courses at the Community Film Skills Academy, run by Bradford creative development agency Fabric. Funded by City of Film and Mediabox – delivered by a consortium in partnership with Skillset and the UK Film Council to fund media projects involving disadvantaged young people – the project was aimed at equipping youngsters with basic film-making skills, including camera work, sound, editing, interviewing and presenting.

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PROJECTS: Young people see their ideas turned into film (UK)

Around 150 youngsters saw the fruits of their labours at a screening of 20 media project films.

The young people aged from 13 to 25 year-olds from Swindon and all over Wiltshire took up the Mega Media Challenge producing projects in film, animation, graphic design, photography, music and computer games.

Project co-ordinator Sherylee Houssein of Create Studios, Swindon, said: “Mega Media Challenge has been great at developing young people’s skills and ideas into real projects.

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ARTICLES / PROJECTS: Youth re-imagine life through short films (WEST BANK / GAZA)

Palestinian youth premiered nine short films at public screenings in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip last week. Forty youths worked in small groups during two parallel three-week workshops conducted in the al-Aroub (West Bank) and Jabaliya (Gaza) refugee camps during the month of July. Palestinian and international trainers facilitated the workshops through the participatory media program Voices Beyond Walls, in partnership with local youth community organizations.

The Re-imagining Project is a program of digital video, photography and storytelling workshops that supports Palestinian youth in expressing their cultural identity, personal narratives, and creative visions.

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OPPORTUNITIES: Production grants available for young Arab documentary filmmakers

Posted on: 25/06/2010 Documentaries Deadline: 30/06/2010 Region: Middle East and North Africa

Young documentary filmmakers from across the Arab world are invited to apply for production grants from BBC Arabic. Deadline to apply: June 30.

Interested applicants must submit information on their film's subject, how they will produce the film, the location and budget, and a summary of the filmmaker and his/her experience. Films must be related to everyday life in Arab societies.

Winning films will be broadcast on BBC Arabic TV.

To apply, submit an application to unsaid@bbc.co.uk. For more information, click here.

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NEWS / EVENTS / FESTIVALS: Student filmmakers to hit the red carpet at Greenfield Youth Film Festival

By Thomas Celona - Staff Writer

This Friday night, the red carpet will be rolled out at the Keswick. Top-bill directors won’t be posing for the camera, but don’t be surprised if those who walk into the theater find themselves in Hollywood in the near future.

The Keswick Theatre will host the second annual Greenfield Youth Film Festival May 14, showcasing short films by the region’s best young directors.

The festival seeks out local high school students with an interest in film and matches them with some of the top resources available.

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EVENTS / FESTIVALS: A new Film Independent program for young filmmakers (USA)

A new Film Independent program for young filmmakers

Film Independent, the organization that produces the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Spirit Awards, is proud to announce the launch of the @15 Short Film Contest, a new initiative designed to increase the opportunities for young filmmakers to get their films seen by a wider audience.

Presented by Best Buy, the @15 Short Film Contest is open to filmmakers ages 13-18, and there is no entry fee. We invite you to go to www.at15.com/film where you will find detailed information about the submission requirements and the fantastic prizes that will be given to the top 15 finalists and to the audience-award winner. The final deadline is April 15.

So, hurry and visit the @15 website today! Let me know if you have any questions about the @15 Short Film Contest and please spread the word!

Grace Mosqueda
@15 Short Film Contest Coordinator
Film Independent
9911 W. Pico Blvd. 11th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90035
310.432.1260-direct / 310.432.1203-fax
futurefilmmakers@filmindependent.org

Film Independent - Home of the Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times and the Spirit Awards

Save the dates: Los Angeles Film Festival, June 18-28, 2009 in Westwood Village