By Nicole Chase
•
01 Sep, 2020
The Boys & Girls Club of San Fernando Valley is proud to announce our inaugural Short Film Festival. This competitive film festival was open to all Club members, with participants ranging in age from 8 to 17. The purpose of the 2020 Short Film Contest this summer was to provide a creative outlet for our socially distanced youth and their families. We wanted them to have and share an experience where they are compelled to get outside their traditional norms and roles. We wanted our members to have the opportunity to organize and direct a project of their own design, and to be challenged to think critically, act collaboratively, and learn new skills. But we also wanted to provide structure and support along the way; they connected them with powerful professional adults who could serve as knowledge bases and mentors. Dr. Kevin Thomas, a long time close friend of the Boys and Girls Club of San Fernando Valley family, was the first to invest in this project, donating the first $500 of prize money. Marcia Tillman, a new close friend of the Club, invested her time as a judge, and then matched Dr. Thomas. Motivated by Marcia, Dr. Thomas added another $500 to the prize pool. Our adult participants include our judges: Marcia Tillman- Local business owner of “I AM” Marcia Tillman Actor Studio, actor, filmmaker. Byron Brisuela- President of the Latin Music Collective, award winning music producer. Kyung Lee- Concert pianist, PHD professor of Music at Pepperdine University, Board Member of the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic. Robert Cucuzza- Assistant Professor of Theater Arts at Los Angeles Mission College, Theater Director, Actor, Creative Consultant. Edward Campos- Local business owner of Imaginationworks, Graphic Designer, Event creator. Our special guests who hosted workshops and shared their work and life stories are: Tim Schildberger- Founder/Series Director of LiveRead/LA, Founder/Producer of Wombat Productions, Writer, director, and producer. Jonathan Launer- Owner of JLP productions, Musician, composer, cinematographer, and producer. Jonathann met with our participants during a weekly ‘Check In.’ He shared his story and experiences as a human being, a musician, and someone working in the film and music industry. None of our participants had ever made films before. Some had limited means and technology. We provided weekly ‘check-in/information sessions,’ and had additional workshops to drive their brainstorming, provide perspective and tools, and expand their understanding of the film and music industry. Shane Coleman, and his nonprofit organization Heroes of Life, co-hosted our check-ins. Michael Long with the Boys and Girls Club of San Fernando Valley also co-hosted, and hosted the extra workshops. We also opened our clubhouse grounds for the young filmmakers to use, while following strict COVID-19 guidelines. Out of 17 youth who started, 4 persevered and completed their projects. They were faced with an immense creative and technical challenge, but along the way they learned new skills, developed new relationships with their parents and families, and created and produced something they never had done before. The four films that were completed and submitted fit within two themes: " A day in the life of…" and " If I could be….". Read the synopses of the film submissions below: "Mark 2" by Emmanuel Ramirez Emmanuel’s film shares the inner turmoil and perspective of a teen as he reflects on the world and people around him. "Point B" by Isaac Fajardo Isaac tells the story of a TG (Tour Guide) who accepts a challenging and surprising secret mission in a post-apocalyptic world run by the NAS (New American States). "A Day in the Life of a Dog" by Sophia Ylaya Sophia enables viewers to see the world through her dog, Caramel. "A Day in the Life of Famous Sohanny" by Sohanny Cardona Combining a bit of the ‘If I could be’ and ‘A Day in the Life Of’ themes, Sohanny wakes up to find herself living her dream of being famous..with a twist. We are extremely proud of our filmmakers, and we celebrate their incredible achievements! Online voting will be open from Wednesday, August 5th to Wednesday, August 19th, 2020 through the Boys & Girls Club of San Fernando Valley's YouTube Channel . The winner of this voting will win $150 as the People’s Choice. All of our finalists will split the $1,350 remaining prize money, and these awards will be announced at a virtual awards show that will be airing at the end of August.