Three young filmmakers from the New York Film Academy BAFTA Community Outreach program were selected as finalists in the 2018 All Rise Say No to Cyber Abuse Filmmaking Competition in the ages 16-21 category. The theme this year was, “Is Cyber Abuse an International Crime,” and entrants incorporated this theme into their films, giving them a voice on the global epidemic that is cyber abuse.
Chair of NYFA Community Outreach Mason Richards sounded the call for submissions to the NYFA Community Outreach alumni in Los Angeles who participated in the NEXT Young Filmmaker Program, an advanced outreach filmmaking program held in the summer at NYFA Los Angeles. The students responded by writing three different PSAs focused on the dangers of cyberbullying and its effects young people. “What was amazing about the short films is that the students wrote, directed, and filmed stories based on their real experiences growing up in south LA. They were able to utilize the filmmaking techniques they learned in the outreach film program to tell powerful and unique stories.”
The students shot their 3-minute PSA at the Universal Backlot and the NYFA soundstage, and at Washington Prep High School in their neighborhood. NYFA provided the equipment and mentors to assist the students with their films. Post-production was also completed at NYFA where students practiced what they learned while editing on AVID.
Sharyn Ross, Head of Outreach Program for BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), a long time partner with NYFA’s outreach program, added, “The students get so much out of the filmmaking program at NYFA, and they’ve always talked about coming together to create more work, so the All Rise competition was the perfect opportunity for them to collaborate on a project with a purpose and a message. The international exposure of their films was also very exciting for them.”
The All Rise annual film competition is designed to give young people a voice about Cyber Abuse and how it affects their everyday lives. The 2018 All Rise young filmmaker finalists Rosalinda Larios (The Victim), Kevin Miles (All Rise) and Jeannie Gardner (Hidden Secret) were among hundreds who submitted to the competition and comprised three of the six finalists in their category. Other students that collaborated on the films are: Tashad Rutherford, Michael Madrid, Chablee “Bubbles” Adams, Daizia Gray, and A’leah Love. The final six films selected were screened and critiqued live online by a panel of distinguished judges including:
- Paul Giannasi – Leads the UK Cross Government Hate Crime Program and manages the Police’s National Policy on Hate Crime.
- Ronan Keating – Singer/songwriter.
- Katie Corcoran – Secondary school history teacher and swimming teacher.
- Simon Stanley Champ – Senior visual effects supervisor, Cineaste Studios.
- Otto Bathurst – UK award-winning director, Robin Hood opening this year.
Young filmmaker Rosalinda Larios added, “It is absolutely great to know that we made it to the final round. This truly acknowledges that our films have that special potential in it, that differed from among hundreds of other films. Hearing these major directors talk about my film, made me feel great. I received many compliments that elevated my self-esteem, but I also received other concerns that actually just motivated me to fix my errors, in order to become a great and better filmmaker.”
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Rosalinda adds, “Being part of the BAFTA/NYFA Outreach program has made a dramatic impact in my life. What I truly like the most about this program is the support system that we receive from all our teachers and mentors. This BAFTA/NYFA family we have created is a wonderful connection that has been part of my life.”
The BAFTA/NYFA Community Outreach program is currently in its fourth year of partnership, where select students participate in a nine-week film camp on Saturdays, where they produce, write, direct, act and edit shorts films to be screened at NYFA Los Angeles. Classes are taught by NYFA faculty, mentors, and student volunteers. The current NYFA/BAFTA Community Outreach program is running for the Spring 2018 semester, and the final screening for the new cohort of films will screen on in April 2018 at the NYFA theater.