Documentary Produced by Local Dallas Youth Set for Weekend Premiere
DALLAS: The Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition powered by AIDS Healthcare Foundation has joined forces with the Compton, California based organization, Young Moviemakers of America (YMA) to work with Duncanville high school students, through a partnership with the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas, to guide them through an immersive, rigorous program, teaching them the skills of filmmaking while creating a 20-minute, short documentary, scheduled to have its red-carpet premiere on Saturday, April 9, 2022, starting at 1:30pm at Youth World, 1121 W. Whitehead Rd., Dallas, Texas.
Over the last 2 months, the young people in the program have worked with YMA Founder, Moon, and the YMA team to both learn the basic fundamentals of filmmaking and film the short documentary focused on the impact of gentrification on Black youth in the metropolitan Dallas community. The student participants were taken through a series of weekly virtual and in-person sessions and learned basic skills around editing, filming, directing, and producing. Like other films produced by YMA program participants, the Dallas area students’ film will exemplify the “for the youth, by the youth” slogan that is the basis of YMA’s program, telling the stories from the lens of the youth.
Twenty-three year old recording artist and filmmaker Moon, founded YMA in 2016, when she was only sixteen years old, to continue her passion for the art-form and her mission of exposing youth with opportunities to write authentic stories, gain skills in various production roles and build 21st century skills needed to compete in today’s rapidly changing economy. Since its inception, YMA has worked with numerous young people throughout southern California and youth participants have produced several films including The Beauty in Me, Laced Up, More Than a Sport and The Light at the End of the Tunnel. In 2018, YMA and AHF first partnered to have young people in the organizations Healthy Housing Foundation (HHF) apartment complex produce a film on the impact of homelessness on young people. As a result of the success of the collaboration, the 2 organizations continued to collaborate and launched a national initiative, taking YMA programming to other communities, including the partnership with the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas and with H.O.P.E to New Heights, a youth serving agency in metropolitan Atlanta.
“Young people hold the future in their hand and often times are not given the opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings around how the many social justice and human rights issues of the present day are impacting them and their peers,” stated Anita Castille, AHF Vice-President of Human Resources and liaison with YMA. “Through this powerful collaboration, young people get to authentically tell their stories, learn the fundamentals of filmmaking, a multi-billion-dollar industry, and learn skills that are preparing them to compete in the marketplace. The partnership is truly a win-win!”
Saturday’s premiere starts at 1:30pm with the screening and Q & A session with the student participant’s starting at 3:00pm. Featuring complimentary food, drinks and entertainment, the event is free and open to the public.
